392 POISONING OF CATTLE BY FEEDING ON PASPALUM DILATATUM 



Stems of the grass in order to get a high point to fly from, 

 transmits the spores to the flowering heads of the grasses. Here 

 a further development occurs. The pistil of the flower is 

 attacked, and a mycelium is produced, growing as a mass of 

 threads between the glumes. Conidia result from this mass, and 

 a sticky substance, popularly known as honey-dew, is found, 

 which materially assists in spore dissemination. The conidia are 

 oval-shaped single cells, about lo fx long, and show a cluster 

 of granules near each extremity. These spores are transmitted 

 from plant to plant in various ways by insects which feed on 

 the honey-dew, by the movements of animals feeding in the 

 infected pasture, and by wind causing contact of infected with 

 healthy heads. In cattle grazing on Paspalum infected with ergot 

 at this stage of its development it will be noted that hairs on the 

 lips, cheeks, upper parts of the legs and along the abdomen are 

 stuck together with this " honey-dew " exudation. From the 

 mass of fungus threads the ripe sclerotia is formed. 



The symptoms produced in cattle by feeding on ergotised 

 grass vary according to the species of the infecting ergots. C. 

 purpurea sets up a very definite train of symptoms, commencing 

 with diarrhoea, lameness and stiffness in the limbs, affecting 

 particularly the lower joints, associated with coldness and insensi- 

 bility of the parts affected. This is followed by sloughing of 

 the part and separation of the dead tissue usually in the neigh- 

 bourhood of a joint. Portions of a limb may be sloughed off, 

 for example, a toe, or in some cases the slough may involve 

 the fetlock joint, resulting in separation occurring at this point. 

 The ears and tail are frequently affected, partial or almost com- 

 plete loss resulting. 



Lesions may also be noted affecting the mucous membranes. 

 Necrotic patches may appear on the buccal mucous membrane, 

 and hyperpemia affecting the intestinal mucous membranes is of 

 frequent occurrence. Abortion very frequently occurs in animals 

 which are pregnant. There is little systematic disturbance except 

 in complicated cases, and temperature is not elevated. 



The American investigators. Brown and Ranck, carried out 

 a series of animal tests in 1914-15 to determine whether C. 

 paspali was capable of producing toxic symptoms in animals. 

 Positive results were obtained by feeding guinea-pigs on the ripe 

 sclerotia. Forty to 80 sclerotia, when fed daily, produced symp- 

 toms of hyperesthesia, and after a few days inco-ordination 

 of movement occurred, resulting in death after a period of 

 complete paralysis. Commercial ergot extract (C. purpurea) 

 was found to produce no distinct ill-effects. The administra- 

 tion of ^ to 3^ c.c. on four successive days produced only tem- 

 porary sluggishness. 



The* ripe sclerotia given to calves ad lib. produced hyper- 

 sensitiveness after two days, and later inco-ordination of move- 



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