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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Logan, Utah » Poisonous Plant Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #332165
Title: A rapid HPLC-APCI-MS method to detect fluoroacetate in plants

Author
item Lee, Stephen
item Cook, Daniel
item RIET-CORREA, FRANKLIN - Veterinary Hospital, Federal University Of Campina Grande (UFCG)
item Pfister, James
item ALLEN, JEREMY - Department Of Food And Agriculture Western Australia
item Colegate, Steven
item LIMA, FLAVIA - Universidad De Sao Paulo
item Gardner, Dale

Submitted to: International Symposium on Poisonous Plants
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/28/2015
Publication Date: 6/5/2015
Citation: Lee, S.T., Cook, D., Riet-Correa, F., Pfister, J.A., Allen, J.G., Colegate, S.M., Lima, F.G., Gardner, D.R. 2015. A rapid HPLC-APCI-MS method to detect fluoroacetate in plants. International Symposium on Poisonous Plants. 9:158-163.

Interpretive Summary: Many plant species worldwide can cause sudden death of grazing livestock. One diagnostic differential is the presence of monofluoroacetate (MFA) that is metabolised to fluorocitrate that subsequently inhibits the Kreb’s Cycle leading to cellular respiration dysfunction. Clinical signs associated with MFA-related sudden death include loss of balance, lack of muscle control, labored breathing, muscle tremors, and recumbency. Plants associated with sudden death of livestock, and that have been shown to produce MFA, include Dichapetalum cymosum native to southern Africa; Acacia georginae, Gastrolobium parviflorum and Gastrolobium grandiflorum in Australia; and Palicourea marcgravii and Tanaecium bilabiatum (synonym Arrabidaea bilabiata) in Brazil. Numerous other plant species are reported to cause sudden death in livestock and are suspected to contain MFA due to the similarity of clinical signs. For example, in Brazil Amorimia spp. (Mascagnia spp.), Pseudocalymma elegans, Fridericia japurensis (synonym Arrabidaea japurensis) and other Palicourea and Tanaecium species have all been tentatively associated with MFA-related sudden death in livestock but the presence of MFA has not been verified. Therefore, a rapid HPLC-APCI-MS method to detect and quantify MFA in plant tissue was developed. The assay was used to investigate plant material from field collections and/or herbarium specimens of plants from Brazil, Australia and the USA that are known to cause, or are suspected of causing sudden death in livestock, and are known or suspected to contain MFA.

Technical Abstract: Many plant species worldwide can cause sudden death of grazing livestock. One diagnostic differential is the presence of monofluoroacetate (MFA) that is metabolised to fluorocitrate that subsequently inhibits the Kreb’s Cycle (the tricarboxylic acid cycle) leading to cellular respiration dysfunction. Clinical signs associated with MFA-related sudden death include loss of balance, ataxia, labored breathing, muscle tremors, and recumbency. Plants associated with sudden death of livestock, and that have been shown to produce MFA, include Dichapetalum cymosum native to southern Africa; Acacia georginae, Gastrolobium parviflorum and Gastrolobium grandiflorum in Australia; and Palicourea marcgravii and Tanaecium bilabiatum (synonym Arrabidaea bilabiata) in Brazil. Numerous other plant species are reported to cause sudden death in livestock and are suspected to contain MFA due to the similarity of clinical signs. For example, in Brazil Amorimia spp. (Mascagnia spp.), Pseudocalymma elegans, Fridericia japurensis (synonym Arrabidaea japurensis) and other Palicourea and Tanaecium species have all been tentatively associated with MFA-related sudden death in livestock but the presence of MFA has not been verified. Therefore, a rapid HPLC-APCI-MS method to detect and quantify MFA in plant tissue was developed. The assay was used to investigate plant material from field collections and/or herbarium specimens of plants from Brazil, Australia and the USA that are known to cause, or are suspected of causing sudden death in livestock, and are known or suspected to contain MFA.