![]() ![]() Locoweed poisoning has a subtle progression with few initial signs, eventually progressing to severe behavioral disorders (Cook et al 2009).Īstragalus nothoxys, among many other species of Astragalus, produce swainsonine as their primary toxic compound, however nearly all of the genus carry more than one toxin. Animals must eat locoweed over extended periods to become poisoned. This toxin was first identified in a legume from Australia, Swainsona canescens, which causes a similar disease to locoism, pea struck (Cook et al. The toxin in Astragalus nothoxys is an alkaloid known as swainsonine. Appendix 1 contains photographs of Astragalus nothoxys. This report will dialog this species by providing distribution and a botanical description as well as provide additional information regarding swainsonine poisoning and discuss some grazing management strategies observed in scientific literature. Common in southern Arizona and northern Mexico is the locoweed species, Astragalus nothoxys. The research involved identifying the fungal species that produces the locoweed toxins, pinpointing levels of toxicity in animals once they have ingested locoweed, observing the effects of locoweed toxins on livestock’s reproduction and grazing preferences, etc. The United States Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service and New Mexico State University scientists have been collaborating since 1990 to help solve the problem that locoweed presents to livestock farmers. Livestock poisoned by chronic ingestion of large amounts of swainsonine develop a condition known as locoism and reported most often in cattle, sheep and horses. Locoweed is relatively palatable during some seasons of the year to livestock, and some individuals will seek it out. Worldwide, swainsonine is produced by a small number of species, most in three genera of the flowering plant family Fabaceae: Oxytropis and Astragalus in North America, and Swainsona in Australia. Typical symptoms of locoism occur from poisoning by the alkaloid, swainsonine. Locoweed (also crazyweed or loco) are common North American plants that produce phytotoxins, nitro toxins, and selenium accumulation that are harmful to livestock. There are some 352 species, 198 varieties, and 552 total taxa in North America north of Mexico (Welsh et al. Astragalus is the largest genus of flowering plants in Arizona, with over 70 species, plus 2 species of Oxytropis, a species that closely resembles locoweed in both appearance and poisonous principle (Ruyle 2008). ![]()
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