Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pyrrolizidine alkaloidosis in a two month old foal.
- Journal:
- Zentralblatt fur Veterinarmedizin. Reihe A
- Year:
- 1993
- Authors:
- Small, A C et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Veterinary Pathology · Australia
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A two-month-old foal was born small and with a yellowish tint to its skin, a sign of liver problems. Unfortunately, the foal passed away after two months due to serious liver damage caused by toxins from a plant that the mother ate while pregnant. The liver showed signs of long-term damage, including scarring and abnormal liver cells. This case highlights a rare condition where the foal was affected by the mother's consumption of harmful substances during pregnancy. Sadly, the treatment did not work, and the foal did not survive.
Abstract
A foal, small and jaundiced from birth, succumbed after two months to chronic hepatic damage which was characterised by fibrosis, biliary ductular hyperplasia and the presence of pleomorphic hepatocytes containing either a single large nucleus or multiple nuclei. The fixed liver contained sulfur-bound pyrroles, which are derived from pyrrolizidine alkaloids. During pregnancy the pasture was heavily infested with the pyrrolizidine alkaloid-containing plant, Senecio madagascariensis. The hepatic disease affecting the foal appears to have been initiated by consumption of the alkaloids by the mare during gestation, and to represent a rare case of congenital pyrrolizidine alkaloidosis.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8328228/