|
Disease |
Clinical Syndrome |
Pathogenesis |
Animal Species |
Causative Fungus |
Causative Toxin |
Substrate |
|
Facial eczema |
Photosensitization, jaundice and hepatosis.
Mostly Eastern Cape, but also elsewhere, e.g. Gauteng, Free State |
Hepatotoxicosis (cholangio-hepatitis) &
cholecystitis |
Sheep cattle |
Pithomyces chartarum |
Sporidesmin |
Pasture, especially perennial ryegrass |
|
Aflatoxicosis |
Unthrifty, poor growth, weight loss, jaundice,
hepatosis., high mortality. Mostly pigs |
Hepatotoxicosis, carcinogenesis teratogenesis
and immune suppression |
Pigs poultry |
Aspergillus falvus |
Aflatoxins |
Groundnuts, spoilt grains |
|
Lupinosis |
Apathy, anorexia, rumen stasis, jaundice, rarely
photosensitivity, high mortality |
Hepatotoxicoses with severe fatty degeneration
(acute) followed by fibrosis giving `boxing glove' liver (chronic) |
Sheep cattle |
Phomopsis leptostromiformis |
PhomopsinA, a hexapeptide |
Sweet lupin forage (Western Cape) |
|
Diplodiosis |
Incoordination, sometimes paresis / paralysis,
low mortality. Stillbirths. |
No brain lesions in ruminating animals. Status
spongiosus in stillborn neonates. |
Cattle sheep |
Diplodia maydis |
Unknown |
Harvested maize lands in winter |
|
Aspergillus clavatus toxicosis |
Hypersensitivity, tremors, ataxia, convulsions,
paresis / paralysis, high mortality. |
Necrosis of large motor neurons in medulla
oblongata, midbrain, thalamus and ventral spinal cord. Hyaline degeneration
of large muscles. |
Cattle |
Aspergillus clavatus |
Unknown |
Sorghum beer residue, sprouted maize, rarely
commercial rations. |
|
Leukoencephalomalacia |
Changes in temperament (apathy to frenzy),
ataxia, terminal convulsions, high mortality. Death may occasionally occur
without clinical signs being observed. |
Focal liquifactive necrosis of the white matter
of the brain sometimes accompanied by hepatosis |
Horse donkeys |
Fasarium moniliforme |
Fumonacins |
Mouldy maize kernels |
|
Paspalum
staggers |
Hypersensitivity, tremors, incoordination and
occassional recumbency. Signs become pronounced with exercise. Rarely fatal. |
Functional nervous disability. No pathological
changes. |
Cattle |
Ergots of
Claviceps paspali |
Indole diterpenoid tremorgens |
Seeding ergotized
Paspalum grass, usually on margins of lands or in
vleis |
|
Perennial ryegrass staggers |
Similar to
Paspalum
staggers |
Similar to
Paspalum
staggers |
Cattle |
Perrenial ryegrass infected by the endophyte,
Neoptyphodium lolii.
|
Indole diterpenoid tremorgens |
Grazed down pasture; grass not visibly fungus
infected |
|
Dronkgras
(Melica decumbens)staggers |
Similar to
Paspalum
staggers |
Similar to
Paspalum staggers |
Cattle sheep |
Suspectedly caused by endophytes demonstrated in
the grass, Melica decumbens. |
Thought to be indole diterpenoid tremorgens |
Melica decumbens
pastures in the Eastern Cape |
|
Kweek (Cynodon
dactylon) tremors |
Similar to
Paspalum staggers |
Similar to
Paspalum
staggers |
Cattle sheep |
Suspectedly caused either by ergots of a
Claviceps sp.or
endophytes in kweek grass. |
Thought to be indole diterpenoid tremorgens |
Kweek (Cynodon
dactylon) pastures in autumn on the Highveld |
|
Ergotism (gangrenous form) |
Dry gangrene of extremities: parts of the feet,
tail and ears may drop off. |
Vasoconstriction, capillary damage, thrombosis
and infarction. |
Cattle |
Ergots of
Claviceps purpurea |
Ergot alkaloids |
Ergotised seedheads of rye- and other grasses |
|
Ergotism (Summer Syndrome) |
Hyperthermia: affected animals pant, drool,
seek shade, show dramatic drop in milk production , no mortality |
Peripheral vasoconstriction. Heat cannot be
dissipated. Depressed prolactin levels. |
Cattle |
Ergots of
Claviceps purpurea
on grasses and C. cyperi
in maize silage contaminated by nut sedges |
Ergot alkaloids |
Ergotised seedheads of grasses (Western Cape)
and ensiled nut sedges (Highveld) |
|
Stachybotryo-toxicosis |
Stomatitis, hemorrhagic diathesis, immune
suppression, highly fatal |
Bone marrow depression: thrombocytopaenia,
leukocytopaenia |
Sheep horses |
Stachybotrys atra (alternans) |
Macrocyclic triterpenes |
Infected hay, straw |
|
Porcine hyper-oestrogenism |
Affects prepubertal gilts resulting in swelling
of vulva, enlargement of mammary glands, and prolapse of vagina and/or
rectum , no mortality |
Mouldy maize, especially cobs spoilt by
moisture while stored under conditions of fluctuating temperatures in the
lower ranges |
Pigs |
Fusarium graminaerum |
Zearalenone |
Maize |
