Notes on poisoning: Lupinus sericeus

Animals/Human Poisoning:

Note: When an animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993) contained no detailed explanation.

Cattle

General symptoms of poisoning:

Notes on poisoning:

Cattle do not eat lupines as readily as sheep and therefore seldom ingest lethal quantities. Symptoms are similar to those of sheep (Kingsbury 1964).

References:

Keeler, R. F. 1989. Quinolizidine alkaloids in range and grain lupins. Pages 133-167 in Cheeke, P. R., ed. Toxicants of plant origin. Vol. I. Alkaloids. CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, Fla., USA. 335 pp.

Kingsbury, J. M. 1964. Poisonous plants of the United States and Canada. Prentice-Hall Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N.J., USA. 626 pp.

Horses

General symptoms of poisoning:

Notes on poisoning:

Horses do not ingest lupines as readily as do sheep. Toxic symptoms therefore seldom appear in horses. Symptoms are similar to those seen in sheep (Kingsbury 1964).

References:

Kingsbury, J. M. 1964. Poisonous plants of the United States and Canada. Prentice-Hall Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N.J., USA. 626 pp.

Humans

General symptoms of poisoning:

Notes on poisoning:

Smith (1987) reports the case of a woman who complained of dizziness and incoordination after ingesting edible lupine seeds purchased in Edmonton. The women had not followed the cooking instructions, which required soaking and boiling the seeds in several changes of water. The toxic alkaloids are removed through several stages of cooking; the process must be continued until no bitterness is left. In lupine seeds a lethal dose of lupanine has been determined to be about 100 mg/kg. If not properly cooked, 10 g of seeds may liberate more than 100 mg of lupanine. Keeler (1989) discusses a possible link between ingesting goat''s milk and the occurrence of birth deformities in a baby. The goats may have been eating a lupine species that contained the teratogenic chemical anagyrine, which was passed through the woman when she drank goat''s milk during pregnancy.

References:

Keeler, R. F. 1989. Quinolizidine alkaloids in range and grain lupins. Pages 133-167 in Cheeke, P. R., ed. Toxicants of plant origin. Vol. I. Alkaloids. CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, Fla., USA. 335 pp.

Sheep

General symptoms of poisoning:

Notes on poisoning:

Symptoms of lupine ingestion in sheep include labored breathing, depression, coma (often with snoring), and death from asphyxiation. Tremors and convulsions may occur. The animal may butt other sheep or stand leaning against an object. Teeth grinding and frothing have been observed. Sheep consume lupine more readily than do other livestock and are therefore the major species susceptible to lupine toxicity. Ingesting seeds equal to 0.25-0.5% of body weight can cause poisoning (Keeler 1964).

References:

Kingsbury, J. M. 1964. Poisonous plants of the United States and Canada. Prentice-Hall Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N.J., USA. 626 pp.