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Fluoroacetate toxicity protection in cattle

Project start date: 01 January 2002
Project end date: 01 March 2004
Publication date: 01 March 2004
Project status: Completed
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Summary

1. Cattle inoculated with a mixture of bacteria were colonised by strains OR85, 149/33, OB291 and S2/10 at >106 cells/ml rumen fluid. The recombinant strains 0/10, 10/1 and OB156 were rarely detected within rumen contents.

2. All cattle challenged with 0.33 mg/kg body weight of sodium monofluoroacetate, administered in three identical sub-doses at times 0, 3, and 6 h, showed no toxicity symptoms before 6 h, and only mild symptoms before 9 h.

3. Five control animals showed acute symptoms of toxicity, were judged to be unrecoverably intoxicated (recumbent and showing violent neurological signs), and were euthanased at approximately 11 h, 13 h, 15, 15:15 h and 15:30 h.

4. The remaining five control animals showed reduced movement and reduction in rumination during the period 6 h to 20 h.

5. All of the ten test animals showed some reduction in activity, during the period from 9 h to 15 h, but continued to ruminate at a normal level.

6. None of the test animals showed acute symptoms of toxicity.

More information

Project manager: Johann Schroder
Primary researcher: CSIRO