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. 2020 May;32(3):467-470.
doi: 10.1177/1040638720914338. Epub 2020 Apr 1.

Intoxication by Astragalus garbancillo var. garbancillo in llamas

Raul E Marin  1 , Juan F Micheloud  2 , Nilda D Vignale  1 , Eduardo J Gimeno  3 , Donal O'Toole  4 , Dale R Gardner  5 , Leslie Woods  6 , Francisco A Uzal  6
Affiliations

Intoxication by Astragalus garbancillo var. garbancillo in llamas

Raul E Marin et al. J Vet Diagn Invest. 2020 May.

Abstract

Lysosomal storage diseases are inherited and acquired disorders characterized by dysfunctional lysosomes. Intracytoplasmic accumulation of undegraded substrates leads to impaired cellular function and death. Several plant species are toxic to livestock because of the presence of indolizidine alkaloids, including swainsonine, which cause a storage disease. Swainsonine-induced nervous disease (i.e., locoism) of sheep and cattle is well recognized in several parts of the world, particularly in the western United States and in parts of Australia. Spontaneous intoxication by Astragalus garbancillo var. garbancillo was suspected in a group of 70 llamas (Lama glama) in Jujuy Province, northwestern Argentina. The animals grazed an area dominated by stands of A. garbancillo var. garbancillo. Clinical signs were staggering, ataxia, hypermetria, and progressive weight loss. The clinical course in individual animals was ~50 d. The main microscopic changes were Purkinje cell degeneration, necrosis, and loss, associated with intracytoplasmic vacuolation, meganeurite formation, and Wallerian degeneration. Specific positive labeling for ubiquitin was observed in axonal spheroids. Composite leaf and stem samples of A. garbancillo var. garbancillo analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography contained 0.03% swainsonine. Based on the microscopic lesions, clinical history, and plant analysis, a diagnosis was made of storage disease caused by consumption of swainsonine-containing A. garbancillo var. garbancillo.

Keywords: Argentina; Astragalus garbancillo var. garbancillo; intoxication; llamas; lysosomal storage disease; swainsonine.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figures 1–4.
Figures 1–4.
Intoxication of llamas by Astragalus garbancillo var. garbancillo. Figure 1. A. garbancillo var. garbancillo plant, with signs of consumption (arrows). Figures 2–4. Tissues of intoxicated llama 1. H&E. Figure 2. Fine intracytoplasmic vacuolation of neurons in the cerebral cortex. Figure 3. Chromatolysis of Purkinje cells in the cerebellum. Figure 4. Fine cytoplasmic vacuolation in renal tubular epithelial cells.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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