An association of a Lolium endophyte with ryegrass staggers

Authors: Fletcher LR, Harvey IC
Publication: New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 29, Issue 10, pp 185-186, Oct 1981
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

Animal type: Livestock
Subject Terms: Fungal/yeast, Locomotor, Mycotoxicosis, Nervous system/neurology, Pasture/crop, Poisoning - plant, Disease/defect, Toxicology
Article class: Correspondence

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Abstract: In recent years, much research effort has been directed towards identifying the cause of Ryegrass staggers (RGS). Many promising leads have been investigated, including studies of fungi in soil, ryegrass leaves, and dead leaf litter that could produce tremorgenic mycotoxins. Several groups of fungi produce tremorgens which, when injected into sheep, produce symptoms similar to those in field outbreaks of RGS. However, under field conditions, populations of these fungi have not been shown to differ significantly between toxic and non-toxic pasture. An endophytic seed-borne fungus, specific to Lolium perenne, described by Sampson, Neill and Lloyd, had been largely dismissed as a possible cause on two grounds:…

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