Mouldy maize grain and fodder poisoning in goats in Kathmandu valley Nepal

Abstract:
An outbreaks of a syndrome of unknown etiology associated with the feeding of moldy maize grain and green fodder to the male goat in a herd of 2000 meant for sale for Dashahara festival during the month of October-2008 in Kathmandu valley of which 52 goats suddenly became ill with symptoms of anorexia, apathy, diarrhea and ruminal stasis .On clinical examination based on history these goats were provisionally diagnosed as sudden illness due to moldy corn/fodder poisoning were treated with liquid Toxol and bio-sel-e and liquid immolyte of which 34 male goat died. Necrosis of the fore stomach mucosa was the most characteristic gross pathological change. Clinical pathological findings included mild focal erosions to severe, diffuse, coagulative necrosis of the mucosa in the rumen, reticulum and omasum and congestion and hemorrhages in the abomasum.Liver with shrunken appearance pale to yellowish discoloration with bile filled distended bladder pin point hemorrhage in kidney, small intestine with excessive mucus. On mycological and microbiological examination of tissue samples from post-mortem of dead goat on respective medium revealed the growth of fungal pathogens like Aspergillus and Penicillium spp with E.coli.These results provide circumstantial evidence that feeding of moldy maize grain and green fodder leaves infected by Penicillium and Aspergillus spp may cause outbreaks of a systemic Mycosis in these goats.

Key words:
Moldy maize, green fodder,Penicillium,Aspergillus Spp,Fungus, Male Goat,Kathmandu valley,Dashahara.Toxol,immolyte.

Background:
During the Dashahara festival of year 2008 about 2000 male goats supplied by Nepal Food Corporation to the customers in Kathmandu valley were being purchased from mid-western region of Nepal. In lirage these goats were being fed exclusively with whole maize grains and green fodder leaves. On clinical examination based on history these goats were provisionally diagnosed as sudden illness due to moldy corn/fodder poisoning were treated with liquid Toxol and bio-sel-e and liquid zist of which 34 male goat died were presented to Central Veterinary Laboratory Tripureshwor Kathmandu Nepal for investigation of cause of illness.


Material and Method:

1: Clinical examination of goats in lairage.
All goats present in lairage for sale in Nepal Food Corporation's compound on clinical examination were found having symptoms like Anorexia, Ataxia, Diarrhea, Dullness, Dysmetria, Generalized weakness, similar to reported by Dr. Maurice E. White 2008, , and ruminal stasis, Schneider DJ, Marasas WF, Collett MG, van der Westhuizen GC, 1985. R. W. Medd, G. M. Murray and D. I. Pickering,2008. : L. W. Whitlow and W. M. Hagler, Jr.2008.
2: Post-Mortem Examination of dead goats.
On Post-Mortem examination of all 6 male dead presented to Central Veterinary Laboratory Tripureshwor ,Kathmandu revealed the lesions which included mild focal erosions to severe, diffuse, coagulative necrosis of the mucosa in the rumen, reticulum and omasum and congestion and hemorrhages in the abomasum.Liver with shrunken appearance pale to yellowish discoloration with bile filled distended bladder pin point hemorrhage in kidney, small intestine with excessive mucus similar to lesions experimentally induced by Schneider DJ, Marasas WF, Collett MG, van der Westhuizen GC, 1985,and reported by DhamaK, ChauhanR S1,*, MahendranMahesh, SinghKP1, TelangAG1, SinghalLokesh1, TomarSimmi2 2007, R. W. Medd, G. M. Murray and D. I. Pickering,2008; Hussein S. Hussein, and Jeffrey M. Brasel 2001.
3: Microbial/Mycobial Culture examination of Post-Mortem Tissue samples.

On mycological and microbiological examination of tissue samples from post-mortem of dead goat on respective medium revealed the growth of fungal pathogens like Aspergillus and Penicillium spp with E.coli similar to the findings of Karki et.al.2008 C. Wendell Horne 2008, www.springerlink.com/index/q7g038v8x3m10026.pdf 2008 Sabreen, M. S. and Zaky, Z. M.* 2001 .Where as all nasal and rectal swabs from sick and dead animals tested for PPR with penside test turn out to be negative.

Result and Discussion:
As during warm humid climate of tropics and subtropics favors growth of mold and fungus in feed grains and fodder especially after heavy monsoon rain feeding of exclusively such grain to livestock and poultry seems to cause the detrimental effect in the health these animals. As in this investigation clinical signs of anorexia, apathy, diarrhea and ruminal stasis and Clinical pathological findings included mild focal erosions to severe, diffuse, coagulative necrosis of the mucosa in the rumen, reticulum and omasum and congestion and hemorrhages in the abomasum.Liver with shrunken appearance pale to yellowish discoloration with bile filled distended bladder pin point hemorrhage in kidney, small intestine with excessive mucus. On mycological and microbiological examination of tissue samples from post-mortem of dead goat on respective medium revealed the growth of fungal pathogens like Aspergillus and Penicillium spp with E.coli.These results provide circumstantial evidence that feeding of moldy maize grain and green fodder leaves infected by Penicillium and Aspergillus spp may have caused this outbreaks of a systemic Mycosis in these goats need to be thoroughly investigated in field areas from where these goats were bought.

References:
1: Schneider DJ, Marasas WF, Collett MG, van der Westhuizen GC. An experimental mycotoxicosis in sheep and goats caused by Drechslera campanulata, a fungal pathogen of green oats. Onderstepoort J Vet Res. 1985 Jun;52(2):93-100. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4047622 -:-Retrived on 13 october 2008


2;R. W. Medd, G. M. Murray and D. I. Pickering :Review of the epidemiology and economic importance of Pyrenophora semeniperda. Australasian Plant Pathology 32(4) 539 – 550. www.publish.csiro.au/?act=view_file&file_id=AP03059.pdf:-Retrived on 13 october 2008


3: DhamaK, ChauhanR S1,*, MahendranMahesh, SinghKP1, TelangAG1, SinghalLokesh1, TomarSimmi2 Aflatoxins-hazard to livestock and poultry production: A review Journal of Immunology & Immunopathology Year : 2007, Volume : 9, Issue : 1 and 2. Division of Pathology, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar-243122 (UP), INDIA. 1CADRAD, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar-243122 (UP), INDIA. 2Division of Animal Sciences, Central Agricultural Research Institute(CARI), Port Blair, A&N Islands, INDIA. indianjournals.com/ijor.aspx?target=ijor:jii&volume=9&issue=1and2&article=001&type=pdf –:-Retrived on 13 october 2008

4: outbreaks called "moldy corn toxicosis," "poultry hemorrhagic syndrome, ... Adult cattle, sheep, and goats are relatively resistant to the acute form of the ...www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/212202.htm :-Retrived on 13 october 2008

5: C. Wendell Horne, MYCOTOXINS IN FEED AND FOOD-PRODUCING CROPS Associate Department Head and Extension Program Leader for Plant Pathology and Microbiology andCommittiChairmanpublications.tamu.edu/publications/Corn/B-1279 Mycotoxins.pdf:-Retrived on 13 october 2008


6: L. W. Whitlow and W. M. Hagler, Jr. Mold and Mycotoxin Issues in Dairy Cattle: Effects, Prevention and treatment www.ces.ncsu.edu/disaster/drought/Mycotoxin-Review.pdf:-Retrived on 13 october 2008


7: L. W. Whitlow, Department of Animal Science and W. M. Hagler, Jr., Mycotoxin Contamination of Feedstuffs - An Additional Stress Factor for Dairy Cattle Department of Poultry Science North Carolina State University, Raleigh NC
www.cals.ncsu.edu/an_sci/extension/dairy/mycoto~1.pdf :-Retrived on 13 october 2008


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9:Aspergillus/aspergillosiswebsite;www.aspergillus.org.uk/secure/veterinary/chap1mammalian.htm - 24k -:-Retrived on 13 october 2008


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11: Sabreen, M. S. and Zaky, Z. M.* Incidence of Aflatoxigenic Moulds and Aflatoxins in Cheeses. Food Hygiene Dept., and *Forensic Med. & Toxicology Dept., Fac. of Vet.Med., Assiut Univ. BULLETIN : Its Cong of Food Hygiene & Human Health, 6-8 February 2001 Dept. of FoodHygiene, Fac. Vet. Med., Assiut. www.aun.edu.eg/env_enc/ee2002/1-50_n_.PDF:-Retrived on 13 october 2008
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12: Hussein S. Hussein, and Jeffrey M. Brasel; Toxicity, metabolism, and impact of mycotoxins on humans and animals School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nevada-Reno, Mail Stop 202, Reno, NV 89557, USA Received 16 April 2001; accepted 10 July 2001. Available online 19 September 2001.
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13: Kedar Karki and Purnima Manandhar: Clinical-Epidemiological Investigation of Mouldy Corn Poisoning due to Penicillium spp. in mules at Udayapur District, Nepal: Veterinary World pp 107-110 vol. 1 no. 4 April 2oo8