Kikuyu poisoning of cattle

Abstract

Extract Outbreaks of an often fatal disease of cattle grazing Kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clandestinum) occursporadically during late summer and autumn in northern areas of New Zealand. The disease is commonly known among veterinarians and farmers as “Kikuyu poisoning”. The writers will use this name but consider that factors other than Kikuyu grass per se may be important in the aetiology of the condition.