Abstract

MARRERO FAZ, Evangelina  and  CALDERON TOBAR, Ángela. Toxic plants and food safety: Enzootic Bovine Haematuria by Pteridium spp. a relevant health hazard. Rev Salud Anim. [online]. 2012, vol.34, n.3, pp.137-143. ISSN 0253-570X.

Food safety is a high priority issue for those factors involved in agricultural production and consumer safety. In this context, plant poisoning in livestock causes the elimination of the highly damaging compounds that repeatedly reach the consumer through milk and meat from animals intoxicated. A relevant example is Pteridium spp., a highly invasive fern able to dominate in cattle grassing areas, with attention to Latin American Andean regions. This paper provides a holistic approach to this issue using the example of Enzootic Bovine Hematuria (EBH), a clinical entity caused by ingestion the of Pteridium spp. containing the carcinogenic norsesquiterpene ptaquiloside that can reach high levels in the plant influenced by environmental and phenology factors occasioning malignant neoplasias in the bladder, with fatal outcome. The ptaquiloside removal of milk from cows exposed to constant consumption of the toxic fern represents a potential hazard for consumers as well. Hence, it has been emphasized the need of implementing surveillance and prevention actions , and paying a close attention to milk safety in grassing areas with EBH and thereby minimizing the risk of gastric cancer of consumers.

Keywords : food safety; toxic plants; Enzootic Bovine Haematuria; Pteridium spp; ptaquiloside.

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