Pesq. Vet. Bras. 37(12):1401-1404, dezembro 2017 DOI: 10.1590/S0100-736X2017001200007 Embryonic death and abortion in goats caused by ingestion of Amorimia septentrionalis1 , José R.G. Lopes 2 2 2 Layze C.A. da Silva2 *, Danielle A. do N.2 Pessoa , José3 R.S. dos ABSTRACT.- Santos , Robério G. Olinda and Franklin Riet-Correa - Embryonic death and abortion in goats caused by ingestion of Amorimia septentrionalisSilva. Pesquisa L.C.A., Pessoa Veterinária D.A.N., Brasileira Lopes R.G., 37(12):1401-1404 Santos J.R.S., Olinda R.G. & Riet-Cor- rea F. 2017. Departamento de Mi crobiologia Veterinária e Departamento de Patologia Veterinária, Universidade Federal de CampinaAmorimia Grande, Av. Universitária s/n, Bairro Santa Cecília, Patos, PB 58700-970, Brazil. E-mail: [email protected] Amorimia rigida spp. are sodium monofluoroacetate (MFA) containing plants causing sudden death in ruminants. In a previous study, caused abortionAmorimia in septentrionalis one of the five pregnant sheep that received the plant suggesting that it may cause reproductiveA. septentrionalis losses. on This work aimed to study the embryotoxic and fetotoxic effects of in goats in the Brazilian northeastern semi-arid region. septentrionalis The effects of pregnancy were studied in 16 goats, divided into four groups according to their gestational- period. In Groups 1, 2 and 3 the administration of A. at the daily dose of 5g of leaves per kg body weight was started on the 18th, 36thand 93thdays of gestation, respec tively. Goats from Group 4 did not ingest the plant. When the goats presented severe signs of poisoning the administration of the plant was suspended. Groups 1, 2 and 3 ingested the plant for 7.25±2.87, 9.25±2.21 and 12.50±0.57 days, respectively. All the goats recovered 7-12 days after the end of the administration of the plant. In Group 1, all the goats had embryonic death 6.25±3.59 days after the end of the ingestion of the plant. In Group 2, Amorimiathree goats septentrionalis aborted at 53, 54 and 78 days of gestation. Two goats from Group 3 gave birth- normally and the other two aborted at 114 and 111 days of gestation. It is concluded that is a sodium monofluoracetate-containing plant that causes em : Amorimia septentrionalis - bryonic deaths and abortions in goats that ingest non-lethal doses of the plant. INDEX TERMS Poisonous plants, abortion, goats, , plant poisoning, embry RESUMO.- [Mortalidadeonic losses, embrionáriasodium monofluoroacetate. e abortos em ca- A. septentrio- bras causados pela ingestão de Amorimia septentriona- nalis lis.] Amorimia - semi-árida nordestina brasileira. Os efeitos de na prenhez foram estudados emA. septentrionalis 16 cabras, divididos em spp. são plantas queAmorimia contém rigida monofluoroaceta- quatro grupos de acordo com seu período gestacional. Nos to de sódio (MFA), responsáveis por causar morte súbita em grupos 1, 2 e 3 a administração de foi diária, ruminantes. Em estudo prévio, causou abor- na dose de 5g de folhas por kg de peso corporal, iniciada nos- to em uma de cinco ovelhas prenhas que receberam a planta,- dias 18, 36 e 93 da gestação, respectivamente. As cabras do- sugerindo queAmorimia pode causar septentrionalis perdas reprodutivas. Este traba grupo 4 não ingeriram a planta. Quando as cabras apresen lho teve como objetivo estudar os efeitos embriotóxicos e fe tavam sinais severos de intoxicação suspendia-se a adminis totóxicos1 de em caprinos na região tração da planta. Os grupos 1, 2 e 3 ingeriram a planta por- 7,25±2,87, 9,25±2,21 e 12,50±0,57 dias, respectivamente.- Received on March 27, 2017. - Todas as cabras se recuperaram 7-12 dias após o final da ad 2 Accepted for publication on April 28, 2017. ministração da planta. No grupo 1, todas as cabras apresen Departamento de Microbiologia Veterinária e Departamento de Pato logia Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Campina Grande (UFCG), Patos,- taram quadros de mortalidade embrionária 6,25±3,59 dias PB3 58700-000, Brazil *Corresponding author: [email protected] após o término da ingestão da planta. No grupo 2, três cabras- National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA), La Estanzuela, Ca abortaram aos 53, 54 e 78 dias de gestação. Duas cabras do silla de Correo, 68033 Colonia, Uruguay. Grupo 3 deram à luz normalmente e as outras duas aborta 1401 Layze C.A. da Silva et al. 1402 Amorimia septentrionalis ram aos 114 e 111 dias de gestação. Conclui-se que tory frequency, ruminal movement and the rectal temperature é uma planta que contém monofluoroacetato were measured. After the administration of the plant, the goats de sódio e pode ocasionar mortes embrionárias e abortos em were moved around for 10 minutes and after the exercise, a new Amo- measuring of the previously mentioned parameters was carried. cabras que ingerem doses não letais da planta. Brucella - rimia septentrionalis , - In cases of abortion, the blood serum of the goats was testedTo- TERMOS DE INDEXAÇÃO: Plantas tóxicas, aborto, caprinos, xoplasmafor gondiisp. using the plate agglutination technique with buffe , intoxicação por planta perdas embrioná red acidified antigen (Card-test) and for the detection of Anti- rias, monofluoroacetatoINTRODUCTION de sódio. antibodies by the indirect immunofluorescence- test (IIFT), using the dilution of 1:64 as a cutting point (Camargo 1974). These tests were carriedT. gondii out in paired samples; the first af Aspidosperma ter the confirmation of the abortion and the second 15 days after. pyrifoliumIn Brazil, ,several Ateleia toxic glazioviana plant species, Enterolobium are responsible contortisili for- For the identification of , samples of the brain, lung, and quumcausing, Stryphnodendron abortion in ruminants coriaceum including, Stryphnodendron obo- placenta of the aborted animals were inoculated in rats (Dubey vatum, Stryphnodendron fissuratum, Tetrapterys acutifolia, 1998). Necropsies were performed on the aborted fetuses. For and Tetrapterys multiglandulosa histopathology examination, samples of the brain and organs of - the abdominal and thoracic cavities were fixed in 10% buffered- (Riet-CorreaMimosa et al. 2011). tenui- formalin, routinely processed for histology, and stained by the floraIn addition to abortions, some plant species may causeCaesal em- hematoxylin and eosin (HE) technique. This experiment was ap piniabryonic pyramidalis death and malformations including proved by the ethics committee on animal experimentation at the (Pimentel et al. 2007, Dantas et al. 2012) and Amori- Federal University of CampinaRESULTS Grande (Protocol CEP 69-2013). mia septentrionalis (Reis et al. 2016). - The monofluoroacetate (MFA) containing plant - is responsible for causingPalicourea sudden spp. death and The goats of Group 1 developed mild clinical signs (tachy Arrabidaeaassociated with exercise in goats, sheep and cattle. In Brazil- cardia and tachypnea) after 2.75±0.95 days of plant con the MFA-containing plants, including A. rigida caused sumption. After A.7.25±2.87 septentrionalis days, the clinical signs become spp., cause nearly 500.000 cattle deaths annu severe and the plant administration was suspended. The plantally (Pessoa et al. 2013). In a recent study, consumption of was of 36.25±14.36g/kg.- abortion in one of the five pregnant sheep that received the- Embryonic death was verified in all the goats, 6.25±3.59 (Vasconcelos et al. 2008) suggesting that it may cause A. septentrionalis in goats in days after the end of the ingestion of the plant. The gesta- reproductive losses. This work aimed to study the embryo tional age of the embryos was of 31.5±3.51 days. toxic and fetotoxic effects of In Group 2, the goats presented mild clinical signs of in the Brazilian MATERIALSnortheastern semi-arid AND METHODS region. toxication 4±1.15 days after starting of the administration of theA. septentrionalis plant. The administration was suspended when the - signs became severe (9.25±2.21, 54days). and The 78 consumption- Sixteen crossbred goats were divided into 4 groups of 4 animals of was of 46.25±11.08g/kg.th th th Three goats each. The goats were submitted to ultra-sonographic examina tion for the negative diagnosis of gestation. After that, they were aborted one kid each on the 53 days of ges- hosted in two stalls with 8 goats and one buck each for breeding- tation, 15.66±12.5 days after the end of the ingestion of the purposes. Each male was marked with red paint on the chest and plant. One goat gave birth to a full-term healthyA. septentriona kid. The go- when the goats were marked, the mating date was registered. Af lisats of Group 3 developed mild clinical signs of intoxication ter mating, ultra-sonographic examination was carried out twice 8±1.41 days after starting the ingestion of a week to confirm the gestation. After being pregnant, the goats . The plant administration was stopped on day 12.5±0.57 were hosted in individual stalls and randomlyAmorimia distributed septen into- when clinical signs became severe, after the consumption of onetrionalis of the four experimental groups. - 62.5±2.88g/kg. Two goats gave birth to full-term viable kids In Groups 1, 2 and 3 the administration of - and the other two aborted (a goat aborted a fetus on day 114 was started on the 18th (organogenesis phase), 36th (fe tal phase) and 93th days of gestation, respectively. The green lea of gestation and another goats aborted two fetuses on day ves were administered daily at the dose of 5g per kg body weight 111 of gestation. All goats from Groups 1-3 recovered from (g/kg). To the goats that did not ingest the plant voluntarily, the- the clinical signs and reproductive disorders. In the goats of- plant was administered orally by putting small amounts of leaves- Group 4 (control) any reproductive disorder was observed on their mouth.