1. Survey of vomitoxin-contaminated feed grains in midwestern United States, and associated health problems in swine.
- Author
-
Côté LM, Reynolds JD, Vesonder RF, Buck WB, Swanson SP, Coffey RT, and Brown DC
- Subjects
- Animals, Body Weight, Diarrhea chemically induced, Edible Grain analysis, Feeding Behavior, Female, Gastroenteritis chemically induced, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Complications chemically induced, Swine, Trichothecenes analysis, Weather, Zearalenone analysis, Zearalenone toxicity, Animal Feed toxicity, Food Contamination analysis, Gastroenteritis veterinary, Pregnancy Complications veterinary, Sesquiterpenes toxicity, Swine Diseases chemically induced, Trichothecenes toxicity
- Abstract
During the 1981 corn harvest season in Illinois and surrounding states, cold wet weather enhanced the growth of Fusarium graminearum, with resulting contamination by vomitoxin and, to a lesser extent, zearalenone. Of 342 feed samples analyzed, 274 contained vomitoxin at a concentration ranging from 0.1 to 41.6 ppm (mean, 3.1 ppm) and 40 samples contained zearalenone at a concentration ranging from 0.1 to 8 ppm (mean, 0.66 ppm). Animal health problems and reduced growth performance were observed mainly in swine fed vomitoxin-contaminated rations. The predominant clinical complaints, in decreasing frequency were: reproductive problems (50%), feed refusal (43%), reduced weight gain (25%), diarrhea (17%), death (14%), and emesis (11%).
- Published
- 1984