Mineral Responsible for Blind Staggers, Alkali Disease and Degnala Disease

Blind staggers, alkali disease, and Degnala disease are caused due to toxicity of which mineral?

Correct Answer: Selenium

Selenium toxicity causes three distinct clinical syndromes (from Table 6 of notes):

• Blind staggers: Acute selenium poisoning — wandering, impaired vision, ataxia, respiratory failure
• Alkali disease: Chronic selenium poisoning — loss of mane and tail hair, hoof deformity, lameness in horses
• Degnala disease: Chronic poisoning in cattle in Punjab and Haryana, India — dry gangrene of the face, tail, and hooves

Selenium Accumulator Plants

Astragalus species are classic selenium-accumulator plants that cause these toxicities.

Selenium Deficiency Diseases

• Ill thrift in lambs
• Nutritional muscular dystrophy (White muscle disease, Mulberry heart disease)
• Exudative diathesis in chickens

Note: Selenium and Vitamin E show a synergistic effect

Vitamin E and selenium both prevent lipid peroxidation; deficiency of either causes similar pathologies.