Swainsonine-induced high mountain disease in calves

Swainsonine, an indolizidine alkaloid in the locoweeds (certain species of the Astragalus and Oxytropis genera), was fed to young Holstein bull calves in their milk at high elevation (3090 m), and the incidence of high mountain disease (HMD) was compared with locoweed-fed and control calves. Five of 5 calves fed swainsonine and 5 of 5 calves fed fresh Oxytropis sericea showed outward signs of HMD, which included edema under the jaws, throat area and brisket and gross and microscopic lesions of HMD and locoweed poisoning. Grossly there were HMD lesions, including congestion of the liver, right ventricular hypertrophy, and dilatation and excessive fluid in the thoracic and abdominal cavities. Microscopically, the severe centrilobular lesions in the liver, edema of the pulmonary artery, severe edema and/or fibrosis of the roof of the right atrium were suggestive of HMD. The mild to moderate neurovisceral cytoplasmic foamy vacuolation of selected tissues and cerebellar neuroaxonal dystrophy in all calves fed swainsonine and locoweed were indicative of locoweed poisoning. In control calves, 1 of 6 showed equally severe outward, gross, and microscopic lesions of HMD, but none had any lesions indicative of locoweed poisoning. The ratio of right ventricle to left ventricle wall weights were significantly higher (P = 0.033) for the swainsonine-fed calves (1.4) and the locoweed-fed calves (1.3) compared to the controls (0.9). Scores indicating the severity of HMD from observations prior to necropsy were significantly higher for the swainsonine and locoweed-fed calves compared to controls (P = 0.032).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)