Experimental poisoning of cattle by Pseudocalymma elegans (Vell.) Kuhlm

Abstract

Additional data on the poisoning of cattle by Pseudocalymma elegans (Vell.) Kuhlm, were sought. Experimental results show that the young leaves (violet and green shoots) of P. elegans are more poisonous than mature leaves. The lethal dose of the violet shoots was around 0.8 g/kg. The toxic dose of mature leaves varied from 2.5 to 10 g/kg. It was seen that the dried plant is also poisonous. It was further shown that P. elegans has a slight cumulative effect. The first symptoms after eating the fresh plant appeared in from 12 hours and 20 minutes to 41 hours. The symptoms resulting in death lasted from a few minutes to 5 hours and 20 minutes, although in one case death occurred 44 hours after symptoms appeared. The most important symptoms were generalized muscular tremors, instability and falling and in part of the cases death within a few minutes. Post-mortem examinations were practically negative. Histopathological studies revealed slight but not constant lesions. These were: vacuolar degeneration of the epithelial cells of the distal convoluted tubules of the kidney, diffuse vacuolisation of the hepatic parenquima, small areas of vacuolisation with beginning hyaline degeneration and small lympho-histiocytic infiltration of the heart muscle, and congestion and edema of the meninges.