Ethanol Byproducts Could Increase Polio In Cattle
The Joplin Globe:
When you hear about a cow or steer going down, what do you think of first?
Thanks to a lot of publicity, many people think of the worst-case scenario: Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease.
That should be the last concern, said Dona Funk, University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist in Stockton.
First, think about polio, which is rare in cattle but could become more common as more livestock producers feed ethanol byproducts to cattle. The byproducts can have enough sulfur to cause polio in cattle.
Polio can be in an acute form that causes sudden death, or it can trigger staggering and blindness or cause animals to be down.
In addition to high sulfur, polio also can be caused by things such as lead toxicity, salt toxicity or thiamine deficiency.
The amount of sulfur and other chemicals in ethanol byproducts (dried distillers grain with solubles) varies among ethanol plants and among loads from the same plant. Funk said farmers feeding ethanol byproducts to livestock should seek to have each load they get tested each month.
Most area farmers feed the byproduct in liquid form that is spread on hay bales in limited quantities, Funk said.
Most potential for polio could be in parts of Western Missouri that have elevated sulfur levels in the water. Combine this with sulfur from another source and polio potential is increased, agreed Al Decker, extension livestock specialist, Butler.
The National Research Council recommends that the maximum tolerable dietary concentration of sulfur in the ration on a dry matter basis should not exceed 0.4 percent.
Not all cattle getting that or more sulfur will develop clinical polio, Decker said.
He cites research in South Dakota that indicate dietary sulfur levels of 0.7 percent or more of dry matter may cause polio in growing cattle.
Ruminant microbial populations — trace concentrations of ruminant pH — can impact sulfur production and absorption, he said.
Treatment for polio cases is not specific but involves proper supportive care for the animal, according to Decker.
Farmers who see any cattle showing signs of polio should immediately contact their veterinarian and remove animals from sulfur sources.
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