Alterations in hemograms and serum biochemical analytes of steers after prolonged consumption of endophyte-infected tall fescue.

The objective of the current study was to delineate changes that occur in serum analytes and blood cellular elements in cattle that graze endophyte-infested (Neotyphodium coenophialum) tall fescue. Tall fescue is grown on more than 35 million acres (14.2 million ha) of pasture in the United States, and three-fourths of the pastures are infected with the endophyte at a 60% or greater level. Tall fescue toxicosis caused by endophyte-produced ergot alkaloids continues to be the most important grass-related disease in the United States, in terms of economic loss to animal producers. However, the agronomic attributes of tall fescue make it an attractive forage species because of its ability to withstand cool temperatures, drought, poor soil conditions, and intensive defoliation from herbivore species, including insects. Tall fescue toxicosis is a complex disease and the need exists to understand the mechanisms of the toxic effects in order to institute effective, prophylactic control measures. Our group previously reported changes that occur in serum biochemical analytes of cattle that graze endophyte-infected tall fescue. An additional year's worth of data have been added, strengthening and corroborating these data. Consistent and significant changes associated with tall fescue toxicosis during the 3-yr study included decreased serum concentrations of cholesterol, globulin (increased albumin/globulin ratio), prolactin, total protein, and copper. The activity of alanine aminotransferase was decreased in serum, whereas an increase in serum concentrations of creatinine and total bilirubin occurred. The present report also documents comparative hemograms of cattle that grazed endophyte-infected or endophyte-free tall fescue over a prolonged period. The mean erythrocyte counts were increased in cattle that grazed endophyte-infected tall fescue, whereas mean corpuscular hemoglobin and mean corpuscular volume were decreased, as were mean eosinophil counts. Thus, repeatable changes have been identified that occur in serum biochemical and blood cellular values of cattle grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue that will aid in understanding the pathogenesis of the disease. In addition, these consistently altered parameters can be used to assess the effectiveness of potential prophylactic treatments.

Alterations in bovine serum biochemistry profiles associated with prolonged consumption of endophyte-infected tall fescue.

Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) is a forage grass that is widely used in pastures in the eastern US for cattle, sheep and horses. The endophytic fungus Neotyphodium coenophialum is endemic in tall fescue pastures in the US. The turfgrass industry intentionally infects fescue cultivars with strains of the fungus to impart desirable growth and disease tolerance qualities to the plants. In contrast, ergot and pyrrolizidine alkaloid toxins produced by fungus-infected plants have been incriminated causally in bovine tall fescue toxicosis, a poorly defined syndrome of morbidity that occurs in cattle that consume endophyte-infected tall fescue (E+TF). We compared the serum biochemistry profiles from cattle that grazed E+TF with those from control cattle that grazed on endophyte-free tall fescue (E-TF). Cattle were bled on 7 dates from April 1 to August 30, 1996 and on 5 dates from May 1 to July 30, 1997. Cattle that grazed E+TF retained rough winter haircoats and had lesser weight gains, typical of tall fescue toxicosis, compared to those grazing E-TF. They had decreased activities of alkaline phosphatase and alanine aminotransferase. Compared to controls, they had lower values for serum prolactin and globulin concentrations. The concentration of creatinine and the albumin/globulin ratio were increased in the cattle grazing E+TF. Isozyme determination of alkaline phosphatase indicated that the decrease in serum activity of cattle grazing E+TF was due to decreases in both intestinal and bone isozymes. Serum protein electrophoresis indicated that the decrease in serum globulin concentration was due to decreases in both alpha and gamma globulin fractions of this protein. The data collected in these experiments add to our understanding of the alterations that occur in the serum chemistry profiles when cattle consume E+TF for prolonged periods of time.

Endophytic fungal toxin effect on adrenergic receptors in lateral saphenous veins (cranial branch) of cattle grazing tall fescue.

The objective of this research was to characterize the adrenergic receptor response in veins of cattle that grazed tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), with (E+) and without (E-) fungal endophyte (Neotyphodium coenophialum) infection. Measurement of contractile response of lateral saphenous veins to selective adrenergic receptor agonists (alphal, phenylephrine; alpha2, BHT-920) revealed enhanced reactivity (greater contractile response) only for the alpha2 adrenergic receptor in E+ pastured cattle. This response was consistent over a 3-yr grazing period. Significant contractility differences in response to BHT-920 occurred at concentrations of 3x10(-6) M and greater. Early research has reasoned that the enhanced reactivity is due to endophyte toxin effect on intracellular signaling systems. The enhanced contractile effect would alter blood flow dynamics and contribute to clinical signs and pathologic change in animals. The alpha2-adrenergic receptor is also involved in the control of many metabolic reactions. Thus, for drug therapy to be successful in reversing the adverse effects of E+ tall fescue exposure in cattle, effects on the alpha2-adrenergic tissue receptors must be neutralized.

Combined analysis of tall fescue steer grazing studies in the Eastern United States.

The mixed-models procedure (MMP) was used to analyze pooled data sets from 12 independent studies conducted during the last 13 yr at nine locations in seven states to provide combined estimates of daily gains by beef steers (Bos taurus) grazing tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) pastures free of (E-) or infested (E+) at different levels with the endophytic fungus Acremonium coenophialum. Treatments included low-infestation (< or = 5% E+), moderate-infestation (> or = 20 to < or = 35% E+), and high-infestation (> or = 50 to < or = 97% E+) tall fescue pastures, and, in tall fescue-clover (Trifolium spp.) mixtures, pastures at the same E+ levels with approximately 25 and 10% clover in spring and summer stands, respectively. Spring, summer, and combined spring+summer data were analyzed separately. The MMP permitted estimation of the fixed effects of treatments over a broad inference space of future years and different tall fescue pastures over a wide geographic range; detected relationships that had not been apparent in the individual studies, such as the interactions between clover presence and E+ infestation levels; and provided a more coherent body of information than did the results obtained from each discrete study. Logistical and financial constraints that force undesirable compromises in the conduct of future grazing and other expensive or time-consuming research may be avoided by using MMP within the context of cooperative projects.

Effects of hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate on fescue toxicosis and mineral absorption.

The possibility of supplementing livestock diets with an aluminosilicate to protect them from fescue toxicosis was investigated. An in vitro study showed that hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate (HSCAS) removed greater than 90% of the ergotamine from aqueous solutions at pH 7.8 or lower, indicating a high affinity of ergotamine for HSCAS in vitro. Rats fed diets containing tall fescue seed infested (E+) with the endophytic fungus Acremonium coenophialum had lower (P less than .05) feed intakes and weight gains than did rats fed diets containing uninfested (E-) tall fescue seed. When feed intake by rats fed the E- seed diet was limited to that of rats fed the E+ seed diet, weight gains did not differ, but testes weights and serum prolactin (PRL) concentrations were lower (P less than .05 and .10, respectively) in rats receiving E+ seed. Supplementing E+ seed diets with HSCAS did not eliminate effects of E+ seed on intake, PRL, or testes weights. Sheep fed E+ tall fescue hay had higher (P less than .05) rectal temperatures than did sheep fed an equal amount of E- tall fescue hay, but OM and N digestion coefficients did not differ between the two hays. Supplementing E+ hay diets with HSCAS did not eliminate the effect of E+ hay on rectal temperatures. Addition of 2% HSCAS to tall fescue hay diets did not affect apparent absorption by sheep of OM, N, Ca, P, Na, K, or Cu, but it reduced (P less than .05) the apparent absorption of Mg, Mn, and Zn.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effects of endophyte-infected fescue and cimetidine on respiration rates, rectal temperatures and hepatic mixed function oxidase activity as measured by hepatic antipyrine metabolism in sheep.

The effects of endophyte-infected fescue (Kentucky 31) hay and cimetidine on respiration rates, rectal temperatures and hepatic antipyrine uptakes of three mature ewes were measured in 15 experiments. Hepatic antipyrine uptake was measured as an indirect indicator of hepatic mixed-function oxidase (MFO) activity. Five experiments on each ewe were conducted during consumption of endophyte-free (one exp/ewe, control), endophyte-infected (two exp/ewe, EIF) and endophyte-infected fescue hay plus cimetidine (800 mg/d i.v., two exp/ewe, EIFC). Respiration rates increased (P less than .05) 2.6-fold after 11 d on EIF from 26 to 68 and decreased (P less than .025) to 27 breaths/min after 4 d of cimetidine treatment. Rectal temperatures increased (P less than .05) 1.1 degrees C after 8 d on EIF. Cimetidine lowered temperatures to control levels by d 4. Endophyte-infected fescue hay increased (P less than .05) hepatic antipyrine uptake 70% after 11 d, but uptake was lowered to control levels by cimetidine by d 4. Increased respiration rates and rectal temperatures in animals consuming EIF seem to be related to increased MFO activity. Cimetidine reversed some of these effects.