Crotalaria juncea intoxication in horses.

This research article discusses the fatal effect of Crotalaria juncea seeds on horses, with findings based on necropsies and subsequent experimentation on guinea pigs.

Study Overview

The researchers conducted a study following the unexpected deaths of twenty horses that had been fed a diet containing 40% Crotalaria juncea seeds. Symptoms before death included staggering, difficulty in breathing (dyspnea) and fever. In the necropsy, notable health abnormalities such as consolidated lung parenchyma and enlarged, congested livers were found.

Symptoms and Lesions

• The horses exhibited a range of symptoms before death. These included difficulty in maintaining balance (staggering), problems with breathing (dyspnea), and high body temperature (fever).
• Post-death examination revealed notably solid areas of the lung tissue and unhealthy, enlarged, and blood-filled livers.

Histopathological Examination

• Upon further analysis, it was found that the horses had diffuse fibrosing alveolitis – a condition leading to widespread scarring of the lung tissue – with hyaline membranes present.
• This suggested a likely cause from a blood-based element.
• Passive congestion was identified in the livers, where an excessive accumulation of blood was causing compression of the hepatocyte trabecules (a component of liver structure).

Guinea Pig Experiment

• For further confirmation and exploration of the hypothesis, the researchers ran a similar experiment using guinea pigs, feeding them a diet containing 60% commercial food and 40% Crotalaria juncea seeds.
• After four months of this diet, the guinea pigs died showing similar symptoms to the horses – namely dyspnea.
• Necropsy of the guinea pigs also revealed identical health abnormalities such as diffuse fibrosing alveolitis, formation of hyaline membranes and congested livers.

Conclusion

• The replication of similar lesions in both the guinea pigs and the horses confirmed the harmful effects of the Crotalaria juncea plant, specifically its seeds.
• These findings supported the diagnosis of Crotalaria juncea intoxication in the horses, pinpointing this as the deadly element of their diet.