Diagnosis
Diagnosis of clinical poisoning is generally made by documenting exposure, identifying the neurologic signs, and analyzing serum for alpha-mannosidase activity and swainsonine.
In mule deer, clinical signs of locoism are similar to chronic wasting disease. Histological signs of vacuolation provide a differential diagnosis.
Sub-clinical intoxication has been investigated in cattle grazing on Astragalus mollissimus. As the estimated intake of swainsonine increased, blood serum alpha-mannosidase activity and albumin decreased, and alkaline phosphatase and thyroid hormone increased.
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