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<UL> <LI>Develop better diagnostic techniques; compare lesions or locoweed poisoning in deer and elk with chronic wasting disease; synthesize swainsonine analogs and protein conjugates to develop immunologic diagnostic techniques and vaccines; <LI>Determine effect of dose and time on reproductive functions; determine conditions of grazing and poisoning of cattle and horses on Astragalus locoweeds and develop management strategies to reduce loss. <LI>Determine if locoweed is addictive.
Approach: Diagnostic techniques will be developed including glycosylation of specific serum proteins and ELISA technology. Swainsonine and synthetic analogs will be conjugated onto carrier proteins, introduced into animals and titers measured for immune response. Reproductive dysfunction will be evaluated using hormone analysis, histochemistry techniques and ultrasound following feeding animals at various doses and times. Grazing studies on Astragalus locoweeds using cattle and horses will determine conditions of grazing. Aversion conditioning will be tested in horses. Population cycles of important locoweeds will be described and related to climate. Competition studies will be conducted to determine if locoweeds can be suppressed by grasses.