The efficacy of acetamide for the treatment of experimental Dichapetalum cymosum (gifblaar) poisoning in sheep.

Abstract

High mortality of livestock is caused annually by the plant, Dichapetalum cymosum (gifblaar), in the Northern Transvaal. So far no therapeutic measures have been developed for the prevention or treatment of this poisoning. In this presentation, the efficacy of acetamide as therapy for experimental gifblaar poisoning was tested in 18 sheep. When 2.5-5 g/kg of acetamide was dosed to sheep at various intervals before and sometimes after the administration of 5 g/kg of gifblaar, 1 out of 5 survived, compared with 0 out of 2 controls. Dosing of 2 g/kg of acetamide before and/or simultaneously with or after 1 g/kg gifblaar prevented mortality as 5 out of 5 treated sheep survived compared with none of the 5 controls. The experiments indicate that acetamide has demonstrable therapeutic value as an antidote for the prevention of experimental gifblaar poisoning in sheep. Further investigations should determine the feasibility and applicability of these findings under field conditions in sheep and cattle.

• Authors: M N Egyed, R A Schultz
• Journal: The Onderstepoort journal of veterinary research (Onderstepoort J Vet Res) Vol. 53 Issue 4 Pg. 231-4 (Dec 1986) ISSN: 0030-2465 [Print] South Africa
• PMID: 3796950 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Acetamides
• acetamide

Topics

• Acetamides (administration & dosage, therapeutic use)
• Animals
• Plant Poisoning (drug therapy, veterinary)
• Plants, Toxic
• Sheep
• Sheep Diseases (drug therapy)