First report of a Sporidesmin Toxicity (Facial Eczema) outbreak in a South African dairy herd

Sporidesmin, a toxin released by a saprophytic fungus, <i>Pseudopithomyces chartarum</i>, causes hepatogenous photosensitivity in sheep and cattle, commonly known as Facial Eczema. A recent outbreak in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa caused significant direct and indirect economic losses to a farmer in the area and highlighted the potential negative consequences of this mycotoxicosis to the dairy industry in this province. The milking herd consisted of 400 cross-bred Jersey/Friesian/Montbilliard cattle. The farmer identified 56 cows showing teat sensitivity/irritability during milking, hypersensitive skin, excessive licking and/or obvious skin lesions on non-pigmented skin areas. Three were culled due to the severity of their skin lesions. Grazing consisted of mixed kikuyu/perennial rye grass pasture under pivot irrigation, alternated with dryland kikuyu/Italian rye and sorghum. Typical clinical signs of severe secondary photosensitivity (skin inflammation and hypersensitivity to touch), very high serum concentrations of Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase (GGT 2143-5177 IU/L) and detection of large numbers of spores on grazed planted pastures supported the clinical diagnosis. Supplementation of zinc oxide (ZnO) powder at 12g per 500 kg cow dosed individually over the concentrates fed in the dairy, effectively reduced the incidence of new cases within two to three weeks. Weight loss, a decrease in milk volume and solids, and increased somatic cell counts were observed during this outbreak. One of these parameters, milk volume loss, was quantified by comparing the financial records of the four years preceding the outbreak to the production figures during the outbreak. The farmer lost approximately R1.5 million in milk volume during this outbreak (November 2020 - April 2021). Long term consequences were also apparent: the culling rate within the clinically affected group of 53 cows was more than 50% higher than the rest of the herd over the following two years. This case study highlights the urgent need to investigate the prevalence and potential economic impact of Sporidesmin Toxicity on the South African pasture-based dairy industry.