ABSTRACT
Ramaria flavo-brunnescens is a mushroom that grows in eucalyptus forests causing poisoning in cattle, sheep and, with less frequency, in horses and pigs. It causes ulcerative and gangrenous lesions in the skin, tongue and esophagus, and loss of hairs of the tip of the tail. Nervous signs are occasionally observed in sheep. This review aims to update the knowledge about poisoning by R. flavo-brunnescens in cattle and sheep in South America. Articles published as of 1950 were retrieved, and the epidemiological data, clinical signs, pathologies, and data on the pathogenesis of intoxication were reviewed including the most recent data on possible modes of action of the active ingredient(s) of R. flavo-brunnescens.
Subject(s)
Agaricales , Cattle Diseases , Mushroom Poisoning , Sheep Diseases , Animals , Cattle , Horses , Mushroom Poisoning/epidemiology , Sheep , Sheep Diseases/epidemiology , South America , SwineABSTRACT
Thirty Wistar rats subcutaneously infected by an itraconazole-resistant Sporothrix brasiliensis received the oral daily treatment (n = 10, each) of control (CTL, saline solution), itraconazole (ITZ, 10 mg/kg) and marjoram essential oil (MRJ, 80 mg/kg) for 30 days. Weekly, the clinical evaluation and euthanasia for histopathology and fungal burden were performed. Only animals from MRJ evolved to the remission of the cutaneous lesion with a mild to absent presence of yeasts in footpad, besides decreased the fungal burden in the systemic organs compared to CTL and ITZ (p < 0.05), preventing the fungal spread, mainly in the liver and spleen. The antifungal activity may have been attributed to the majority composition of terpinen-4-ol (34.09%), γ-terpinene (14.28%) and α-terpinene (9.6%), which the mode of action was at the level of ergosterol complexation. These findings highlighted the antifungal and the systemic protective effects of MRJ, supporting the promising use in the treatment of cutaneous sporotrichosis.
