Alpha-mannosidosis caused by toxic plants in ruminants of Argentina

It is well known that several of the swainsonine-containing plant species found widespread around the world have a negative economic impact in each country. In Argentina, most of the information on the poisonous plant species that produce α-mannosidosis is published in Spanish and thus not available to most English speaking researchers interested in toxic plants. Therefore, the aim of this review is to summarize the information about swainsonine-containing plants in Argentina, which are extensively distributed throughout different ecoregions of the country. To date, five species from three genera have been shown to induce α-mannosidosis in livestock in Argentina: Ipomoea carnea subsp. fi stulosa, Ipomoea hieronymi subsp. calchaquina (Convolvulaceae), Astragalus garbancillo, Astragalus pehuenches (Fabaceae), and Sida rodrigoi (Malvaceae). These species contain the indolizidine alkaloid swainsonine, which inhibits the lysosomal enzyme α-mannosidase and consequently affects glycoprotein metabolism, resulting in partially metabolized sugars. The prolonged consumption of these poisonous plants produces progressive weight loss and clinical signs related to a nervous disorder, characterized by tremors of head and neck, abnormalities of gait, difficulty in standing, ataxia and wide-based stance. Histological lesions are mainly characterized by vacuolation of different cells, especially neurons of the central nervous system. The main animal model used to study α-mannosidosis is the guinea pig because, when experimentally poisoned, it exhibits many of the characteristics of naturally intoxicated livestock.Estación Experimental Agropecuaria BarilocheFil: Cholich, Luciana Andrea. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Cholich, Luciana Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Martinez, Agustin. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria (INTA). Estacion Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche. Grupo de Sanidad Animal; ArgentinaFil: Micheloud, Juan Francisco. Universidad Católica de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronomía; ArgentinaFil: Micheloud, Juan Francisco. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Investigación Animal del Chaco Semiárido. Área de Sanidad Animal; ArgentinaFil: Pistán, Maria Elena. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Garcia, Enrique Nicolas. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Robles, Carlos Alejandro. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche. Grupo de Sanidad Animal; ArgentinaFil: Ortega, Hugo Hector. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Ortega, Hugo Hector. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Gimeno, Eduardo Juan. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Gimeno, Eduardo Juan. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin