What are the prevention and treatment methods for moldy feed poisoning in pigs?

1 Main pathogens and their harm

At present, more than a hundred mycotoxins are known, mainly aflatoxin, ergot toxin, zearalenone, etc. Among them, aflatoxin is the most serious toxin harming @#@227@#@ production. Aflatoxin is a hepatotoxin. When pigs eat feed contaminated with aflatoxin, it reduces liver function, causes decreased bile secretion, and at the same time reduces the activity of protease and lipase secreted by the pancreas, affecting the absorption and utilization of protein and fat in the feed; it is also a relatively strong coagulation factor inhibitor, which can cause congestion and bleeding in tissues and organs; it can also interfere with the normal functioning of the immune system, reduce the body's resistance, prevent vaccines from functioning normally, and make pigs prone to or secondarily infected by multiple diseases.

Zearalenone is a mycotoxin with estrogenic effects, which can cause false estrus, failure to come into estrus, pseudopregnancy, and abortion in sows.

The toxic component of ergot toxin is ergot alkaloids. Ergot toxin poisoning can be divided into convulsive type, gangrenous type, and mixed type. The main symptoms of poisoning are reduced feed intake, depression, and in some cases lameness; in severe cases, necrosis of the tail and ears occurs. Pregnant sows often develop agalactia.

2 Clinical symptoms

In clinical diagnosis, the symptoms of moldy feed poisoning are similar to some infectious diseases, and bleeding, necrosis, abortion, etc. can easily lead to misdiagnosis. The symptoms in sows and piglets are more obvious: the vulva is obviously swollen, firm, tense, and protrudes backward in an estrus-like manner. Because the vulva is swollen, it affects the vaginal mucosa, causing it to swell and further triggering vaginal prolapse. In male piglets, it manifests as edema of the prepuce. Pigs with chronic mycotoxin poisoning generally have normal body temperature, reduced appetite in the early stage, stop eating in the later stage, rough coat, stunted growth, and so on. In the acute type, in addition to the above symptoms, neurological symptoms can also be seen, including excitement and restlessness, depression, or paralysis, with death occurring within a few days.

3 Treatment

For pigs with vulvar swelling, reduced appetite, and slow growth caused by chronic poisoning, liver-protecting drugs such as glucose, vitamin C, and glucurolactone can be used. For those with neurological symptoms, sedatives should be used, along with oral intestinal-cleaning and fermentation-inhibiting drugs, ear clipping and bloodletting, and intravenous injection of 20%-50% glucose, caffeine sodium benzoate, vitamin C, urotropine, and other drugs. To prevent complications, penicillin-streptomycin and sulfonamide antibacterial agents can be used. For pigs in large groups that have reduced or lost appetite due to disease but are still in fair spirits, feeding green fodder and allowing large amounts of glucose and urotropine to be drunk can also achieve very good therapeutic results. Immediately stop feeding moldy feed, replace the moldy feed with succulent and easily digestible green fodder, pour an appropriate amount of glucose powder and urotropine injection into a basin, place it in the pig house, and let the pigs drink freely; they generally recover in 2-3 days. The key to treating this disease lies in protecting the liver, promoting diuresis, and detoxifying, and in achieving early prevention and early treatment.

For feed suspected of being moldy, commercially available mold removers can be added for prevention. Pig farms where moldy feed poisoning has occurred or has not occurred should carry out early prevention and treatment. The most fundamental measure is not to feed moldy and spoiled feed, especially to piglets and sows, so as to reduce unnecessary losses.