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

1. Cause: Corn, soybeans and cottonseed are all easily infected by Aspergillus flavus. At the suitable temperature of 24°C-30°C and a relative humidity above 80%, it can multiply in large numbers and produce this toxin. When the above seeds and their by-products are used as feed to feed pigs, poisoning can occur after about 15-25 days.

2. Symptoms: In acute cases, pigs may be seen falling to the ground and dying during movement, or dying within two days after symptoms appear. Sick pigs do not eat, the mucous membranes are pale, the hindquarters are weak, walking is unsteady, the feces are dry, and there is bleeding from the rectum. Sometimes sick pigs press their heads against the wall. In chronic cases, walking is stiff, and pica such as gnawing soil and rubble appears. Sick pigs arch their backs, tuck up their bellies, have dry feces, and are restless. In some sick pigs, the skin around the eyes and nose turns red, and later turns blue.

3. Necropsy: In acute cases, a large amount of bleeding can be seen in the thoracic and abdominal cavities. Bleeding can be seen under the skin and in the muscles of the hind legs, front shoulders and other areas. There is blood in the intestinal tract. There are pinpoint-like or petechial hemorrhages on the liver and serosal surfaces. There is bleeding on both the endocardium and epicardium, and splenic hemorrhagic infarction is occasionally seen.

4. Prevention and treatment: There is no antidote for this disease, so symptomatic treatment such as laxatives, intravenous bloodletting and glucose supplementation can be used. Usually, management of feed should be strengthened, with frequent turning and sun-drying. The feed room should be ventilated, the floor should be dry, and rain leakage and dampness should be prevented. Severely moldy feed should be discarded. Slightly moldy feed should first be crushed, then soaked in clear water (1:3), with repeated water changes until the soaking water becomes colorless. Feed treated in this way must still be fed together with other feed.

Herbal medicine can be used: 150 grams of Houttuynia cordata, 100 grams each of dandelion and Chinese lettuce, and 50 grams each of Ajuga and Platycodon grandiflorus, ground into powder and mixed into the feed. It has a detoxifying effect, but it must be used after bloodletting and simultaneously with glucose supplementation; or use a 0.1% copper sulfate solution and a 0.5%-1.0% potassium iodide aqueous solution for drinking, or mix them into the feed. It is effective in mild cases.