Intoxicação experimental por Passiflora sp. em caprinos.

Abstract

Rio Grande do Norte in the Seridó area, some owners mentioned this plant as a cause of abortion in cattle, horses, goats and sheep. This study aimed to evaluate the toxicity of Passiflora sp. in goats, determine the active ingredient and the time of year or the vegetative stage in which it is toxic. At the beginning of the experiment, it was not yet known that the toxicity of the plant was due to cyanide. Goat 1 received the plant for three days. On the first and second days it received 40g/kg of the plant, collected in a different place and the goat began to show clinical signs of intoxication with 8g/kg. clinical signs were characterized by apathy, positive venous pulse, ataxia, screaming, tachycardia and tachypnea, mydriasis, sternal recumbency followed by lateral recumbency. After the onset of clinical signs, it was suspected that it was a cyanide intoxication and the animal was treated with sodium thiosulfate, returning to normal after a few minutes. Goat 2, which received 4g/kg, showed mild clinical signs. Goats 3 and 4 received 5g/kg and showed the same signs as goat 1, plus ruminal atony. Subsequently, the plant was administered, at different times, to 23 goats at a dose of 10g/kg and to one goat at a dose of 5g/kg. In total, of the 14 goats that received the plant in the dry season, 11 showed clinical signs and of the 14 goats that received the plant in the rainy season, only 3 showed clinical signs. All animals that showed clinical signs recovered after administration of sodium thiosulfate. In Goats 2-28 the leaves of the plant were administered shortly after collection in small amounts orally. Before each administration, tests were carried out in relation to the cyanide content existing in the plant, classifying it as discreet, light, moderate and intense, observing. The samples with a mild reaction did not show toxicity, those with a mild reaction induced mild signs and those with a moderate reaction showed severe or moderate signs. Tests with intense reaction were not observed. The results of the work demonstrate that Passiflora sp is a cyanogenic plant that causes intoxication after the ingestion of fresh leaves, mainly during the dry season and the beginning of the rains.