Liver disease in cattle induced by consumption of moldy hay
Casteel, S.W.; Rottinghaus, G.E.; Johnson, G.C.; Wicklow, D.T.
Veterinary and Human Toxicology 37(3): 248-251
1995
ISSN/ISBN: 0145-6296 PMID: 7571359 Document Number: 443376
An outbreak of forage-induced hepatopathy, initially involving photosensitization in 17 of 28 cows and 1 bull on a 20-acre pasture in Missouri, USA was investigated. At the time of illness the herd was fed bales of second-cutting alfalfa orchard-grass hay harvested and baled during the previous wet July. To document the toxic nature of the hay, large bales (450 kg) were fed, ad libitum, to 3 groups of 2 calves each. Elevated serum liver enzymes provided evidence of hepatobiliary disease. Gamma glutamyl transferase activities in sera of calves sustained at least a 10-fold increase above baseline during the feeding trials. Histological examination of liver biopsies and post-mortem sections revealed mild periportal fibrosis and biliary hyperplasia. Culture material from 12 fungal isolates (Aspergillus and Scopulariopsis spp.) from the hay failed to induce liver disease in calves.