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Cycad (zamia) poisoning in Australia
Author(s) -
HALL W. T. K.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
australian veterinary journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.382
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1751-0813
pISSN - 0005-0423
DOI - 10.1111/j.1751-0813.1987.tb09667.x
Subject(s) - cycad , ataxia , toxicity , liver damage , lesion , biology , spinal cord , medicine , pathology , ecology , neuroscience
The Cycads belong to an ancient family of plants and were the cause of the first well documented plant poisoning in Australia when Captain Cook's men and their pigs were affected by eating them. Subsequent reports particularly by early explorers refer to toxicity of the seeds to man. One reason for this was the evidence that the natives ate them. Subsequent reports and experimental work established the toxicity to sheep and cattle. In sheep and cattle 2 syndromes occur, ataxia and liver damage. In cattle the former is the better known, the spinal cord lesion being mainly a demyelination of the sensory pathways. The liver damage is necrosis and fibrosis.