Resumo

MARIN A, Carlos et al. Contribution to the Knowledge of the Livestock Paraplegic Syndrome  in the Venezuelan Plains. I: Diagnostic Strategies. Rev. Fac. Cienc. Vet. [online]. 2006, vol.47, n.1, pp.33-42. ISSN 0258-6576.

Livestock establishments in the Venezuelan plains that developed in open savannah ecosystems during the time of colony gave origin to the traditional extensive-extractive production systems known as cow-calf and breading-raising, which are the basis for the exploitation of meat livestock in Venezuela. In this type of system, herds were exposed for centuries to adverse environmental conditions, predators, plagues, and diseases as well as to the rainy-draught cycle, characteristic of these plains. These regions encompass 12 million hectares, with acid soils where most of their pastures belong to the Trachypogon gender. The pastures sustain about 8 million of crossbred heads (zebu x native). The environmental conditions and the animal’s management that sustain an efficient meat livestock are not the most suitable due to the lack of technological innovations necessary to improve the efficiency of these production systems. It is necessary to consider that the presence of the Bovine Paraplegic Syndrome (BPS) plays a key role in the environmental conditions just mentioned. This study involved several levels of research: applied, basic, and operative. The operative investigation was conducted on farms affected by the BPS and was lead by a multidisciplinary and inter-institutional team. The nutritional situation and the integral management of animals in the soil-plant-animal system were assessed. The results of the investigation confirmed that the BPS is a multifarious closely associated to mineral deficiencies, especially phosphorus.

Palavras-chave : Cattle; multipurpose breeds; paralysis; etiology; pathogenesis; disease control; mineral deficiencies; soil pH; Anzoátegui; Bolívar; Monagas.