Moldy rice straw poisoning in dairy cattle in Nepal

An outbreak of disease affecting a herd of 83 dairy cattle which were fed moldy, rice straw is described. Out of the affected cattle 3 of which died. The clinical signs included muscular tremors, hypersensitivity, ataxia, anorexia and salivation and death.

The clinical signs were characterized by flaccid paralysis and gait abnormalities. Clinical signs were more pronounced after exercise and included stiff and unsteady gait, knuckling at the fetlocks of the hind limbs, frequent falling, inability to rise, muscular tremors, especially of the head and the hindquarters, and drooling. Main necropsy findings included degenerative and necrotic changes of the larger medial muscle groups of the hindquarters. Necrosis of the fore stomach mucosa was the most characteristic gross pathological change. Focal erosions to severe, diffuse, coagulative necrosis of the mucosa in the rumen, reticulum and omasum and congestion and hemorrhages in the abomasums was similar to as reported by Schneider DJ, Marasas WF, Collett MG, van der Westhuizen GC,PAULINO LORETTI Alexandre; MOLETA COLODEL Edson ; DRIEMEIER David ; MENDES CORREA André  ; BANGEL Jorge José  ; FERREIRO Laerte ; Loretti AP, Colodel EM, Driemeier D, Corrêa AM, Bangel JJ Jr, Ferreiro L. and Kellerman TS, Newsholme SJ, Coetzer JA, Van der Westhuizen GC. Botha, C J : Kellerman, T S : Fourie, N. Azhar Maqbool, Muhammad Athar Khan, Muhammad Yaqoob, Ijaz Ahmad Khan, Nadeem Badar1 and Fazal Mahamood.

Samples of rice straws of different lots, fodder ,pasture grass, and feed and post-mortem tissue samples in mycobioal culture media revealed the growth of penicillum spp, which was similar to the finding of  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 . Azhar Maqbool, Muhammad Athar Khan, Muhammad Yaqoob, Ijaz Ahmad Khan, Nadeem Badar1 and Fazal Mahamood.

All cattles that were showing clinical symptoms were treated with Antidegnala liquor 5 ml s/c followed by 2 ml daily for next 10 days. Similarly rest of animals in herds were also provided with same drugs at the dose rate of 2 ml orally for ten days. Those cattles received the treatment as earliest time recovered promptly the delayed treated cattle too recovered but took bit longer time the treatment response was similar to earlier findings of Karki et.al 2008.

Hematological findings of samples from clinical case post treatment:

     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 cattles and straw and feed samples on respective medium revealed the growth of fungal pathogens like Penicillium spp with E.coli.These results provide circumstantial evidence that feeding of moldy rice straw maize grain and green fodder leaves infected by Penicillium and Aspergillus spp and timely use of Antidegnala liquor has controlled the further mortality in sick cattles and when remaining animals in herd there was no further appearance of syndrome indicative of the above polyneuropathy syndrome was caused by a systemic Mycosis in these cattles. Same way in this observation it was observed the entire animal which was treated with injection of anti Degnala liquor recovered completely. Same way there was marked increase in total WBC count, and decrease in RBC count as well PCV and Hb during clinical phase of syndrome on treatment there was marked increase of both PCV and Hb and increase in RBC count and normal WBC count also support that this syndrome was attributed by infestation of fungus on rice straw which was fed to these animals need to be looked into.

1: Botha, C J : Kellerman, T S : Fourie, N: A tremorgenic mycotoxicosis in cattle caused by Paspalum distichum (l.) infected by Claviceps paspali. J-S-Afr-Vet-Assoc. 1996 Mar; 67(1): 36-7.

2: Gilmour JS, Inglis DM, Robb J, Maclean M. A fodder mycotoxicosis of ruminants caused by contamination of a distillery by-product with Aspergillus clavatus. Vet Rec. 1989 Feb 11;124(6):133-5.

3: 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.

4: Kalra DS, Bhatia KC. Degnala disease in buffaloes and cattle: epidemiological investigations. 1: J Environ Pathol Toxicol Oncol. 1990 May-Jun;10(3):132-5.

5: Ellis, Kimberly. Hemorrhagic bowel syndrome in dairy cows, Senior Seminar Paper SF610.1 2008 E45, http://hdl.handle.net/1813/12788.

6: PAULINO LORETTI Alexandre (1) ; MOLETA COLODEL Edson (1) ; DRIEMEIER David (1) ; MENDES CORREA André (1) ; BANGEL Jorge José (2) ; FERREIRO Laerte (3) ; Neurological disorder in dairy cattle associated with consumption of beer residues contaminated with Aspergillus clavatus. Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation   ISSN 1040-6387 : 2003, vol. 15, no2, pp. 123-132 [10 page(s) (article)] (30 ref.).

7: Kimberly S. Brown, Forage Testing Points to Molds and Mycotoxins May 18 2001, Article # 3526;The Horse.com.

8: Azhar Maqbool, Muhammad Athar Khan, Muhammad Yaqoob, Ijaz Ahmad Khan, Nadeem Badar1 and Fazal Mahamood. Prevalence, etiology, chemotherapy and control of Deg Nala disease in buffaloes and cattle in Pakistan; VETERINARSKI ARHIV 68 (6), 213-217, 1998

9: Kellerman TS, Newsholme SJ, Coetzer JA, Van der Westhuizen GC. tremorgenic mycotoxicosis of cattle caused by maize sprouts infested with Aspergillus clavatus. 1: Onderstepoort J Vet Res. 1984 Dec;51(4):271-4.

 10: Loretti AP, Colodel EM, Driemeier D, Corrêa AM, Bangel JJ Jr, Ferreiro L. Neurological disorder in dairy cattle associated with consumption of beer residues contaminated with Aspergillus clavatus. : J Vet Diagn Invest. 2003 Mar;15(2):123-32.

11: Meat and meat products: Other animals carrying E. coli O157 include sheep, goats, wild deer, pigs, ...... by Penicillium, Rhizopus, and Aspergillus spp. (ICMSF, 1980b). www.springerlink.com/index/q7g038v8x3m10026.pdf:-Retrived on 13 october 2008

12: 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

We would like to thank Mr.Udaya Chandra Thakur Program Director of Directorate of livestock production Harihar Bhavan Kathmandu for providining early indication of problem. Thanks are due to Mr. Bal Bahadur Kunwar Mr. Tek Bahadur Air Senior Vet. Technician and Mr.Bhimsen Adhikari Vet. Technician of Microbioly Unit, Mr Purna Maharajan Vet Technician of Central Veterinary Laboratory for doing the microbiology and post-mortem works and office assistant Mr. Chandra Bahadur Rana for his tireless effort in handling the carcass during post-mortem work.