INTOXICAÇÃO NATURAL POR Sida carpinifolia EM CAPRINOS NO ESTADO DO PARANÁ (Sida carpinifolia poisoning in goats in the state of Paraná, Brazil)

Sida carpinifolia poisoning causes a degenerative disease of the central nervous system, mainly characterized by cerebellar syndrome. The objective of this report was to describe the epidemiological, clinical and pathological features observed in an outbreak of Sida carpinifolia poisoning in goats, as the first report in the state of Parana, Brazil. During the past ten years, the disease occured in a farm located in the northern pioneer region of the state, causing death of 35 goats of different ages, after an evolution ranging from three days to six months. In the latest outbreak, the disease was observed in three goats that had access to a shaded area extensively invaded by the plant. Clinical signs consisted of progressive weight loss, ataxia, intention tremors of the head, nystagmus, proprioceptive deficits and spontaneous fall. Histologically, the main lesion was vacuolization in Purkinje cells. Similar changes were observed in hepatocytes, renal tubular epithelium and parietal corpuscular cells, and acinar epithelial cells of the pancreatic islets. The presence of the plant in large quantity, the evidence that had been consumed, the clinical signs and the histological lesions presented by goats were the key information that led to the diagnosis of Sida carpinifolia poisoning. This plant should be included on the list of toxic plants that can cause mortality of herbivores in the state of Parana, Brazil.