Thirty-five privately owned to 2-year-old mixed-breed steers and heife
rs, weighing 340 to 454 kg, died from accidental ingestion of English
yew (Taxus baccata). Estimated dosages ranged from 0.36 to 0.70 g of f
resh plant/kg of body weight. Clinical signs of poisoning and death be
gan 2 to 3 hours after first exposure, and cattle continued to have cl
inical signs, which ended in death 6 to 8 hours later. Most cattle had
died by 4 hours after first ingestion. Necropsy of 4 cattle revealed
substantial amounts of English yew leaves and small stems in the rumen
contents. Grossly, there were areas of hyperemia in the abomasum and
small intestine. Histologically, lesions were limited to the lungs and
included moderate congestion and interlobular edema. Chemical analysi
s by thin-layer chromatography of suspected yew plant material from th
e rumen contents of the 4 necropsied cattle was compared to authentic
taxol, and confirmed the presence of taxol in rumen samples.