A study on clinical and laboratory features of natural poisoning with Tribulus terrestris in sheep

Document Type : Case Report

Authors

1 Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

2 Department of pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

10.22055/ijrhr.2020.32292.1028

Abstract

Tribulus terrestris herb has been used as a drug in traditional medicine and its toxic effects have also been reported. Less attention has been paid to the interpretation of pathological and laboratory findings in the natural form poisoning with this plant in animals. Following a report of mortalities in a sheep farm feeding on a pasture containing Tribulus terrestris herb and involvement of 50 of the animals with similar clinical symptoms, one ewe with these signs; inappetance, serosal nasal discharge, dehydration, severe mucosal and scleral jaundice and rumen impaction was evaluated. Serum biochemical profile and CBC tests revealed; increasing of total protein, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, total bilirubin, magnesium, phosphorus values and enzymes activities (ALT, ALP, GGT, CPK) and leukocytosis, neutrophilia, lymphopenia. The presence of bilirubin, protein and blood in the urine was also confirmed by the urine strip. In macroscopic observations, severe pathologic jaundice in different parts of the carcass, rumen impaction with forage materials, petechial hemorrhages in the abomasal mucosa, necrosis and ulcerative lesions in the gallbladder mucosa, presence of pinpoint dark spots on the surface of the kidney, pulmonary edema and focal white deposits on the endocardial surface of the heart were seen. Microscopically, necrosis and degeneration of the hepatocytes and myocardium, acute tubular necrosis, deposition of eosinophilic structures in the renal tubules and hemosiderin pigments in its epithelium were observed. The presence of some toxins in the herb, especially steroidal saponins, is very important in inducing hepatorenal lesions in sheep

Keywords

References

References
Adam, S.I.Y., Alsanousi, N., Ahmed, A.M.A., Ali, S.Y., Abdallah, M.M. & Anfal. A.A. (2019). Evaluation of toxicity and anti-microbial activity of Tribulus terrestris fruits in Sudan. Asian J. Biol. Sci. 12, 2, 130-139.
Amjadi, A.R., Ahoural, P. & Baharefat, M. (1977). First report of geeldikkop in sheep in Iran. Arch. Inst. Razi. 29, 71-78.
Aslani, M.R., Movassaghi, A.R., Mohri, M., Ebrahim-pour, V. & Mohebib, A.N. (2004). Experimental Tribulusterrestrispoisoning in goats. Small Ruminant Res. 51, 261–267.
Aslani, M.R., Movassaghi, A.R., Mohri, M., Pedram. M. & Abavisani, A. (2003).  Experimental Tribulusterrestris poisoning in sheep: Clinical, laboratory and pathological findings. Vet. Res. Commun. 27, 53-62.
Bourke, CA. (2006). Abnormal turning behaviour, GABAergic inhibition and the degeneration of astrocytes in ovine Tribulus terrestris motor neuron disease. Aust. Vet. J. 84, 1 & 2, January, February, 53-58.

Brown, J.M.M. (1963). Biochemical lesions in the pathogenesis of geeldkkop (Tribulosis ovis) and enzootic icterus in sheep in south. Ann N Y Acad Sci. Mar 5, 104, 504-38.

Constable, P.D., Hinchcliff, K.W., Done, S.H. & Grumberg, W. (2017). A text book of the diseases of cattle, horse, sheep, pigs and goats. Saunders Elsevier, New York. 11th edi. P: 2217-2219.
Cullen, J.M. & Stalker, M.J. in Jubb, Kennedy & Palmer's Pathology of Domestic Animals. (2015). Liver and Biliary System, Intoxication by steroidal sapogenins: tribulosis and related toxicoses, Vol 2. Saunders Ltd. 6th  ed. P. 258-352.
Hajhossein Talasaz, A., Abbasi, M.R., Saeed Abkhiz, S. & Dashti-Khavidaki1,S. (2010). Tribulus terrestris-induced severe nephrotoxicity in a young healthy male. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 25, 3792–3793.
Kaisar Rahman, Md, Islam, S., Ferdous,J., Helal Uddin, Md., Belal Hossain, Mahmudul Hassan, M. & Islam, A. (2018). Determination of hematological and serum biochemical reference values for indigenous sheep (Ovies aries) in Dhaka and Chittagong Districts of Bangladesh. Vet World. 11, Augest, 1089-1093.
Kostova, I. & Dinchev, D. (2005). Saponins in Tribulus terrestris – chemistry and bioactivity. Phytochemistry Reviews. 4, 111–137.
Miles, C.O., Wilkins, A.L., Erasmus, G.L. & Kellerman, T.S. (1994). Photosensitivity in South Africa. VIII. Ovine metabolism of Tribulus terrestris saponins during experimentally induced geeldikkop. Onderstepoort J Vet Res. 61, 351-359.
Reddy Yanala, S., Sathyanarayana, D. & Kannan, K.  (2016). A Recent Phytochemical Review – Fruits of Tribulus terrestris Linn. J. Pharm. Sci. & Res. 8, 3, 132-140.
Smith, B.P. (2015). Large animal internal medicine. Elsevier Inc. Mosby. 5th ed. P: 105, 145, 367, 370, 912.
Stockham, S L. & Scott, M A. (2002). Fundamentals of veterinary clinical pathology. Blackwell publishing. 1st ed. P: 341, 443, 493.
 
 
 

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics