Hepatogenic photosensitization in lambs supplemented with different levels of extruded urea in Brachiaria spp. pastures in the Brazilian Cerrado: Case report

Toxicon. 2024 Mar 19:107692. doi: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2024.107692. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTThe aim was to report cases and risk factors for hepatogenous photosensitization in lambs kept on Brachiaria spp. pastures and supplemented with levels of extruded urea (EU). The herd consisted of 69 Texel crossbred lambs with known parentage (fathers and mothers adapted to the consumption of forage of the genus Brachiaria), randomly divided into 5 groups and distributed in individual paddocks for each group. The animals were supplemented with increasing levels of EU (Amireia® 200S): 0, 6, 12, 18, and 24 g of EU per 100 kg-1 of body weight (BW). The concentration of protodioscin was estimated in the mixed pastures of Brachiaria spp. (cv. Marandu and cv. Basilisk), structural components (leaf, stem, and dead material), samples of each cultivar, and in the months of December (2018), February, and April (2019). The animals were examined daily, and when behavioral changes were identified, they underwent clinical examinations and anamnesis. Weighing was performed every 14 days, followed by necropsy and serum biochemical analysis, including gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT). The highest concentrations of protodioscin (p < 0.0001) were found in the pastures used by animals supplemented without extruded urea (7.07 ± 0.56), in the Basilisk cultivar (11.35 ± 0.06), in the leaf blade components (2.08 ± 0.05), and thatch (2.20 ± 0.00), and in the month of April (7.34 ± 0.29) (the month w...
Source: Toxicon - Category: Toxicology Authors: Source Type: research