Almeida, et al.; Poisoning by Thiloa glaucocarpa (Combretaceae) in cattle in the semiarid regions of Paraíba and Pernambuco, Brazil. Braz J Vet Pathol, 2017, 10(3), 111 – 116 DOI: 10.24070/bjvp.1983-0246.v10i3p111-116 Brazilian Journal of Veterinary Pathology. www.bjvp.org.br . All rights reserved 2007. 111 Original Full Paper Poisoning by Thiloa glaucocarpa (Combretaceae) in cattle in the semiarid regions of Paraíba and Pernambuco, Brazil Thais H.S. Almeida 1 , Raquel F. Albuquerque 1 , Valdir M. Almeida 1 , Givaldo B. Silva Filho 2 , Hisadora A. Chaves 2 , Sílvio H. Freitas 3 , Franklin Riet-Correa 4 , Fábio S. Mendonça 5* 1 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Veterinária. Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil. 2 Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil. 3 Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária (FMV), Universidade de Cuiabá (Unic), Rua Itália s/n, Jardim Europa, Cuiabá, MT 78065-420, Brasil. 4 Estación Experimental La Estanzuela, INIA, Colonia, Uruguay. 5 Laboratório de Diagnóstico Animal, Departamento de Morfologia e Fisiologia Animal, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brasil. * Corresponding Author: Phone number + 55 81999654183, E-mail: fabio.mendonca@pq.cnpq.br Submitted July 5 th 2017, Accepted August 13 th 2017 Abstract The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiological, clinical and pathological aspects of spontaneous poisoning by Thiloa glaucocarpa in cattle in the semiarid region of Paraíba and Pernambuco, Brazil. Eight adult cattle were examined and of those, five were necropsied. The main clinical signs consisted of dehydration, dry nose, ascites and subcutaneous edema. Renal function tests resulted in significant changes. The gross macroscopy consisted of significant fluid accumulation in the abdominal and thorax cavities, and edema of lungs, subcutaneous tissues, perirenal tissue and abomasal folds. Histologically, the main lesions consisted of epithelial coagulation necrosis of renal convoluted tubules with presence of amorphous eosinophilic material in the lumen of the tubules. The diagnosis of poisoning by T. glaucocarpa was based on epidemiological data, clinical signs, necropsy findings, histopathological evaluation, renal serum biochemistry and plant identification in the areas of cattle pastures. After the start of the rainy season in this region, T. glaucocarpa is the main toxic plant responsible for significant economic losses. Since there is no effective treatment for animals with renal failure, it is recommended that the animals must be removed from the areas where the plant grows in the period immediately after the first rain. Key words: Thiloa glaucocarpa, plant poisoning, nephrosis, cattle. Introduction Thiloa Eichl., is a small genus that belongs to the Combretaceae family. Species of Thiloa are endemic in tropical South America, mainly in Bolivia, Peru and Brazil (13). T. glaucocarpa Eichl., a shrubby tree, is a very common species of the Brazilian Caatinga Savanna (10) and in the semiarid regions of northeastern Brazil, T. glaucocarpa is an important nephrotoxic plant for cattle. Despite the presence of Thiloa species in South American countries, poisonings, until to date, were just reported in Brazil. When the leafs are ingested by cattle, cause a subacute disease, with evolution between 5 and 20 days, and the main clinical sign is the subcutaneous edema. The first reports of T. glaucocarpa poisoning were made by Tokarnia et al. in 80`s (17), but despite the importance of poisonings in Brazil, recent detailed data have not been reported in northeastern. In other hand, according to several floristic surveys (7, 8, 10, 11) T. glaucocarpa is widely diffused in several northeastern states, such as Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Alagoas, Maranhão and Sergipe. Despite its wide distribution, the poisonings have not yet been described in these regions (12). It is believed that outbreaks of poisonings by this plant in cattle are being underreported, especially in