Lantana camara poisoning in grazing cattle

Lantana is an exotic ornamental shrub that causes phototoxicity in ruminants. The red flower variety of lantana camara is most toxic but other flower like pink, white and orange can also be highly toxic. Lantana leaves and berries are toxic to livestock, including cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, camels, horses, dogs, rabbits, ostriches, and rats, with cattle, buffalo, and sheep being highly susceptible. Particularly lantadene type A, which are absorb through entire digestive tract and causes hepatotoxicity, photosensitization and jaundice. Severely affected animals having diarrhea with strong smelling black faeces, reddening and inflammation of non-pigmented skin, moist ulcerated and painful sloughing off and invaded by maggots, ocular discharge, all visible mucous membrane icteric. Diagnosed by the photosensitization, biochemical test like Salkowski’s test, copper acetate test, thionyl chloride reagent is used. Treated the toxicity of lantana by combined therapy of activated charcoal, purgative, electrolyte therapy and parenteral administration of antihistaminic and vitamin B complex with liver extract.