title: Spontaneous poisoning by Hovenia dulcis in dairy cattle in Southwest Parana, Brazil.
abstract: Livestock poisoning by plants is a frequent occurrence which determines severe losses, such as the fall in the milk and meat production, the cost of expensive treatments, the state of immunosuppression, or even the animal's death. Cattle ingest toxic plants only when there is food shortage, when they cannot select what they eat, or when they ingest food for preference, which is the case of Hovenia dulcis fruits, very rich in sucrose. This plant is widely distributed in the southern and southeastern Brazilian regions. In literature, there are some cases of severe human liver injury associated with a long-term of H. dulcis leaf and fruit tea intake, and only one report regarding spontaneous poisoning of goats caused by this plant ingestion. However, its toxic effects associated with spontaneous ingestion by cattle have never been reported. This paper reports the first case of spontaneous poisoning in cattle by H. dulcis, which occurred in a dairy farm in southwest Paraná, Brazil. Three cattle individuals showed anorexia, ruminal atony, severe diarrhea and neurological tournament, head pressing, blindness, ataxia, and circling. The necropsy of the animals was done, and the remaining alterations were restricted to the digestive system and brain. The clinical signs presented by the animals are characteristic of polioencephalomalacia (PEM), caused by changes in the thiamine metabolism. Furthermore, clinical signs, gross, and microscopic lesions as well as the large amount of the plant throughout the digestive segment led to a diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal da Fronteira Sul-UFFS, Realeza, PR, 85770-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fabricio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bernardi
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal da Fronteira Sul-UFFS, Realeza, PR, 85770-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marina Gabriela
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Possa
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal da Fronteira Sul-UFFS, Realeza, PR, 85770-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mayane
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Faccin
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal da Fronteira Sul-UFFS, Realeza, PR, 85770-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gruchouskei
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinic, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Univ. Estadual Paulista-UNESP, Botucatu, SP, 18618-970, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carlos Eduardo
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Fonseca-Alves
authors.affiliation: Department of Veteronary Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade de São Paulo-USP, São Paulo, SP, 05508-270, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pípole
authors.affiliation: Center of Phycological Research, Instituto de Botanica-IBot, São Paulo, SP, 04301-902, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luciana Retz
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: de Carvalho
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal da Fronteira Sul-UFFS, Realeza, PR, 85770-000, Brazil. fabiana.elias@uffs.edu.br.
authors.forename: Fabiana
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Elias
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003612:Dairying; D005260:Female; D010939:Plant Poisoning / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary*; D010947:Plants, Toxic / Q000506:poisoning*
keywords: Dairy cattle; Poisoning; Polioencephalomalacia; Thiamine