10 research outputs found
Milk transfer of cyanide and thiocyanate: Cyanide exposure by lactation in goats
The present work was aimed at evaluating the effects of maternal exposure to potassium
cyanide (KCN) during lactation in goats. Twenty-seven lactating female goats were orally
dosed with 0 (control), 1.0, 2.0, or 3.0 mg KCN/kg body weight/day from lactation days
0 to 90. After this period, all male kids and one mother from each group were killed for
a pathological study. Cyanide treatment promoted the clinical signs of maternal toxicity
in the highest KCN group but did not affect body weight. Both cyanide and thiocyanate
presented increased levels in both dams and kids from the treated groups. Microscopic
lesions, but without alterations on the biochemical panel, were found in the brain,
thyroid, liver, and kidneys of both dams and kids from the treated groups. These findings
suggest that lactating offspring can be indirectly intoxicated by maternal exposure
to cyanide
Maternal Ingestion of Ipomoea carnea: Effects on Goat-Kid Bonding and Behavior
Ipomoea carnea is a toxic plant found in Brazil and other tropical and subtropical countries and often causes poisoning of livestock. The plant contains the alkaloids swainsonine and calystegines, which inhibit key cellular enzymes and cause systematic cell death. This study evaluated the behavioral effects of prenatal ingestion of this plant on dams and their kids. Twenty-four pregnant goats were randomly allocated into four treatment groups and received the following doses (g/kg BW) of fresh I. carnea: 0 (control group), 1.0 (IC1), 3.0 (IC3), and 5.0 (IC5) from day 27 of gestation until parturition. Dam and kid bonding and behavior were evaluated by several tests, immediately after birth until six weeks of age. Dams from IC3 and IC5 groups spent less time paying attention to the newborn. There was a lack of maternal-infant bonding due to I. carnea intoxication. Kids from treated dams had difficulty in standing, suckling, and in recognizing their mother hours after birth. I. carnea can also compromise the kids’ ability to learn and to retain spatial memory. We suggest that kids from pregnant goats given I. carnea during gestation have significant behavioral alterations and developmental delays that may compromise their survival