Lysosomal storage disease caused by Sida carpinifolia poisoning in goats

A neurologic disease characterized by ataxia, hypermetria, hyperesthesia, a nd muscle tremors of the head and neck was observed for 2 years in a flock of 28 Anglo-Nubian and Saanen goats on a farm with 5 ha of pasture. Six new borns died during the first week of life, and five abortions were recorded. The predominant plant in the pasture was Sida caipinifolia. The disease wa s reproduced experimentally in two goats by administration of this plant. T hree goats with spontaneous disease and the two experimental animals were e uthanatized and necropsied. No significant gross lesions were observed. Fra gments of several organs, including the central nervous system, were proces sed for histopathology. Small fragments of the cerebellar cortex, liver, an d pancreas of two spontaneously poisoned goats and two experimentally poiso ned goats were processed for electron microscopy. Multiple cytoplasm vacuol es in hepatocytes, acinar pancreatic cells, and neurons, especially Purkinj e cells, were the most striking microscopic lesions in the five animals Ult rastructural changes included membrane-bound vacuoles in hepatocytes, Kupff er cells, acinar pancreatic cells, Purkinje cells, and the small neurons of the granular cell layer of the cerebellum. Paraffin-embedded sections of t he cerebellum and pancreas were submitted for lectin histochemical analysis . The vacuoles in different cerebellar and acinar pancreatic cells reacted strongly to the following lectins: Concanavalia ensiformis, Triticum vulgar is, and succinylated Triticum vulgaris. The pattern of staining, analyzed i n Purkinje cells and acinar pancreatic cells coincides with results reporte d for both swainsonine toxicosis and inherited mannosidosis.