Toxic Plants Potentially Impacting the Health Status of Livestock in St. Kitts-A Surveillance Study.

Tropical regions are characterized by exceptional biodiversity, including extremely diverse flora. Many plants produce chemical compounds that function as defense mechanisms, some of which are toxic to mammals, including livestock species. However, documentation of toxic plants in the Caribbean region remains limited. The present study aimed to identify toxic and potentially toxic plant species affecting livestock on the island of Saint Christopher (St. Kitts) through surveys of a representative number of farms across all nine parishes. An extensive literature review was performed in order to characterize the local flora and to identify plant species with known or suspected toxic potential. Farm visits were conducted using a structured surveillance questionnaire developed by the authors. During these visits, representative photographs of commonly encountered toxic plants were taken. The identified plant species were classified according to the chemical nature of their active ingredient, and their main clinical effects were described. Ten plant species (