Sinais clínicos e patologia da intoxicação crônica experimental de caprinos por Palicourea marcgravii

Abstract

Palicourea marcgravii is considered the main toxic plant for livestock in Brazil, however, only the acute intoxication has been reported. This study reports the clinical and pathological changes of 10 goats chronically intoxicated by P. marcgravii. The animals received, daily, 0.2g/kg body weight of the fresh plant during 6 to 38 days. The main clinical signs were anorexia, lethargy, tachycardia, arrhythmia, positive jugular venous pulse and recumbency. At necropsies, the lesions were pale kidneys and myocardium, serous atrophy of cardiac fat, evident hepatic lobular pattern and pulmonary edema. The main microscopic findings were swelling and vacuolization of cardiomyocytes, cardiac necrosis and inflammatory mononuclear infiltrate of the myocardium. The kidneys showed diffuse vacuolar hydropic degeneration of the epithelium. These findings demonstrated that goats chronically intoxicated by P. marcgravii show distinct clinicopathologic features than those observed in the acute form of the poisoning. It is suggested that goats may be spontaneously become intoxicated by the ingestion of small repeated doses of the plant and that the poisoning can be confused with other diseases.