Reports of cases of poisoning by Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC. (Fabaceae) in ruminants in the semiarid paraibano/Relatos de casos de intoxicações por Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC. (Fabaceae) em ruminantes no semiárido paraibano

Abstract

Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC. popularly known as "algaroba" is an invasive plant that is widely distributed in the Northeast region of Brazil. Some research has reported that the pods of this plant has caused the death of ruminants and, consequently, economic losses in the cattle sector of the country. Thus, the objective of this study was to carry out a survey of the cases of intoxication in production animals by the "algaroba" and to suggest that prophylactic measures be adopted in the regions where this plant occurs. This work was carried out in five municipalities of the Curimataú Ocidental Paraibano, including Barra de Santa Rosa, Cuité, Damião, Nova Floresta and Sossego. The interviews were carried out through two structured forms containing questions related to intoxications by "algaroba" pods. For the accomplishment of this research, 30 participants were interviewed in the total (6 representatives of each municipality) between the months of June and August of 2016. The responses attributed by the participants to the inquiries proposed during the interviews were analyzed qualitatively. From the data obtained, it was verified that all the interviewees reported the existence of P. juliflora on their properties, however, only 11 of the 24 participants mentioned that they had knowledge about the toxic effects of this plant in ruminants. According to the interviewees, the excess of "algaroba" pods cause clinical signs in production animals characterized by difficulty chewing and "cheeky". Therefore, it is concluded that Prosopis juliflora is a potentially toxic plant that causes serious damage to the health of the production animals in Curimataú Ocidental Paraibano.

Keywords

• algaroba
• toxic plant
• production animals