Grazing cows that miscarry or don't conceive at all because of a toxic fungus common in pasture grass could benefit from an experimental drug originally developed in Europe for human use, say two SIUC researchers.

"Levels of progesterone (a hormone that helps maintain pregnancy) were reduced when the animals in our study were fed the toxic fescue," says Karen Jones, an animal biotechnologist in the College of Agricultural Sciences.

"This has been observed before by other researchers, but what was different in our study was that the experimental drug brought those levels back up to almost normal."

The drug, domperidone, has previously been tested in horses but not in other livestock.

Co-researcher Sheryl King, an animal physiologist, says the study showed that domperidone also kept weight gain at normal levels in animals feeding on fungus-infected fescue. Without the drug, animals fed the toxic fescue grew less than animals fed non-toxic fescue did.

Fescue rules in most livestock pastures throughout the United States. This hardy, nutritious grass resists pests and drought and grows back easily, even when closely cropped by grazing animals, because of a fungus in its stems and blades that helps it thrive.

But what's good for the grass is bad for the beasts. The fungus produces a toxin that throws animal reproductive systems out of whack and messes with their health and growth to boot.

"In cattle, fescue toxicosis is responsible for an $800 million loss annually," Jones says. "Any solution to this problem will translate directly into money in the producers' pockets."

A two-year, $59,000 grant from Illinois' Council on Food and Agricultural Research (C-FAR) funded the study. While the results were dramatic, the researchers caution that some questions about the use of domperidone remain unanswered.

"We have to figure out the best working dose, and we also have to figure out a more convenient means of delivery (than daily injections)," King says.

The drug also must win approval from the Food and Drug Administration for animal use before it becomes commercially available.

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