Ergotism and photosensitization in swine produced by the combined ingestion of Claviceps purpurea sclerotia and Ammi majus seeds

Departamento de Produccion Animal, Estacion Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce, INTA, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Poisoning of domestic animals happens frequently in the southeast of Buenos Aires Province (Argentina). Intoxications are produced mainly by the ingestion of plants and mycotoxins, but animals are rarely affected simultaneously by both types of agents. One herd of pigs suffered simultaneous intoxications by ergot alkaloids from Claviceps purpurea sclerotia and furocoumarins from Ammi majus seeds. Pigs were fed a diet composed of wheat (poor quality) or corn and protein and vitamin supplements. This diet was completed with forage sorghum. Nervous signs were first observed 5-7 days after the initiation of feeding the suspect ration. These signs were followed by cutaneous irritation. Snout ulcers, eyelid edema, and conjunctivitis were observed in several piglets. Ten days after the start of feeding the incriminated ration, 8 abortions were observed. Many of the sows that were nursing piglets developed udder edema and teat cracking. Dermal lesions were observed in most of the animals with unpigmented areas in the skin but not in a Duroc-Jersey boar. Removal of the incriminated diet and feeding of another diet prepared with good-quality wheat allowed all the animals to recover in 15 days. The herd experienced normal pregnancies and parturitions, litter sizes, and piglet weights when fed a cleaned portion of the poor-quality wheat. No photosensitization lesions were observed. Examination of impurities in the suspected wheat indicated the presence of 2.2% of A. majus seeds and 0.14% of C. purpurea sclerotia. The quantitative analysis indicated the presence of 3.2 g xanthotoxin and 0.65 g bergaptene/100 g A. majus seeds and 0.73 g ergot alkaloids (expressed as ergonovine) per 100 g of C. purpurea sclerotia. Qualitative analysis demonstrated the presence of ergotamine, ergocristine, and ergonovine. These results indicate that clinical signs and lesions were caused by the ingestion of large quantities of these biologically active compounds.