The co-occurrence of Fusarium
mycotoxins in contaminated swine diets has been shown to result in synergistic toxicity beyond that observed for individual toxins. An experiment was conducted, therefore, to investigate the effects of feeding a blend of grains naturally contaminated with Fusarium
mycotoxins on growth, brain regional neurochemistry, serum
immunoglobulin (Ig) concentrations, serum chemistry, hematology, and organ weights of starter pigs. Three levels of
glucomannan polymer (GM
polymer, extract of yeast cell wall, Alltech Inc.) were also tested for its efficacy to overcome Fusarium
mycotoxicoses. A total of 175 starter pigs (initial weight of 10 +/- 1.1 kg) were fed five diets (seven pens of five pigs per diet) for 21 d. Diets included (1) control, (2) blend of contaminated grains, (3) contaminated grains + 0.05% GM
polymer (4) contaminated grains + 0.10% GM
polymer and (5) contaminated grains + 0.20% GM
polymer. Diets containing contaminated grains averaged 5.5 ppm
deoxynivalenol, 0.5 ppm
15-acetyldeoxynivalenol, 26.8 ppm fuuric
acid, and 0.4 ppm
zearalenone. Feed intake and
weight gain of all pigs fed contaminated grains was significantly reduced compared to controls throughout the experiment. The weights of liver and kidney, expressed as a percentage of
body weight, were lower in pigs fed the contaminated diet than in those fed the control diet. The feeding of contaminated grains significantly reduced concentrations of
dopamine in the hypothalamus and pons and concentrations of dihydroxyphenylacetic
acid and
norepinephrine in the pons. The ratios of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic
acid to
serotonin, however, were elevated in the hypothalamus and pons. The feeding of contaminated grains increased serum
IgM and
IgA concentrations, while serum
IgG concentrations were not altered. The supplementation of GM
polymer prevented some of the
mycotoxin-induced alterations in brain
neurotransmitter and serum Ig concentrations. In summary, the feeding of grains naturally contaminated with Fusarium
mycotoxins reduced growth, altered brain neurochemistry, increased serum Ig concentrations, and decreased organ weights in starter pigs. Some of the Fusarium
mycotoxin-induced changes in neurochemistry and serum Ig concentrations can be prevented by the feeding of yeast cell wall
polymer at appropriate concentrations, although this was not reflected in increased growth rate under these experimental conditions.