Two goats which were housed and fed forages and commercial concentrate, died one week after being fed a mixture of plants. Amongst these plant was identified Trema micrantha. Only one animal was necropsied, and paleness of the carcass, subcutaneous haemorrhages in the region of chest and scapula, a yellowish and pliable liver with enhanced lobular pattern were the principal macroscopic findings. Additionally, in the cut surface from the liver, there were reddened and depressed areas mixed with withish ones. The most important histologic findings were hepatic centrilobular necrosis and haemorrhages associated with vacuolization of the periportal hepatocytes. In the encephalic tissue, there were vacuolisation, degeneration and necrosis of the neurones from cortex and hipocampus. The evidences of consumption of the plant and the hepatic lesions here described are consistent findings with the diagnosis of spontaneous poisoning by Trema micrantha.
spontaneous plant poisoning; Trema micrantha; Ulmaceae; goats
