Spontaneous poisoning of goats by the plant Ipomoea sericophylla (Convolvulaceae) in Brazil – a case report

The aim of this study was to report a neurological disease in goats caused by the plant I. sericophylla. The epidemiology, clinical signs, histological findings and the results of the lectin histochemistry analysis of a nervous cells and epithelial cells are also reported. Five goats that remained with neurological signs were examined in more detail. Two goats were necropsied. Histological lesions consisted of neurons with thin cytoplasm vacuolation, presence of axonal spheroids and vacuolation in pancreatic acinar cells, thyroid folliculars cells, hepatocytes and renal tubular cells. On lectin-histochemical analysis, cerebellar cells, pancreatic acinar cells and follicular thyroid cells showed positive staining for Concanavalia ensiformis, Triticum vulgaris, succinylated Triticum vulgaris and Lens culinares, which indicate the storage of α-D-mannose, α-D-glucose, β-D-N-acetyl-glucosamine, and acetyl-neuraminic acid. It is concluded that I. sericophylla is an important toxic plant that causes lysosomal storage disease in goats at semi-arid region of Pernambuco, Brazil.