What to do about mold poisoning in pigs? Prevention and control of mycotoxin poisoning
According to incomplete statistics, there are as many as several hundred kinds of mycotoxins, and all of them harm pigs, just to differing degrees. The harm caused by many mycotoxins is not easy to detect, and some can only be found through necropsy, which is why farmers do not pay as much attention to mycotoxins as they do to other infectious diseases.
Since June 2019, more than 20% of pig farms have had serious mycotoxin levels exceeding standards, and it was also found that more than half of pig farms using self-mixed feed had not added any mycotoxin adsorbent, so problems of varying degrees exist.
Mycotoxins on pig farms mainly appear in the following links
First, inferior corn, soybean meal, wheat bran, etc.;
Second, low-priced complete feed contains more mycotoxins;
Third, although complete feed undergoes high-temperature processing during production, the toxins it produces cannot be eliminated by this treatment;
Fourth, pig farms take the easy way out and bring in too much feed at one time, so the feed stays on the farm too long, making secondary mold growth easy and producing toxins;
Fifth, the troughs on pig farms always have leftover feed, and the residual feed easily molds under high-temperature, high-humidity conditions, producing toxins;
Sixth, no mycotoxin adsorbent is added in a reasonable manner.
The mycotoxins in feed that have a relatively large impact on pigs are mainly the following:Aflatoxin, zearalenone, T-2 toxin, ochratoxin, ergot alkaloid toxins.
Aflatoxin is mainly produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. It is one of the most toxic mycotoxins and can cause severe liver lesions, reducing the resistance of finishing pigs, lowering feed utilization, and slowing growth.
Jaundice and coagulopathy appear, along with listlessness and anorexia; in severe cases it causes poisoning and death in pigs, a drop in reproductive rate, miscarriage in sows, reduced lactation, and it also causes immunosuppression, greatly reducing the effectiveness of vaccine immunization.
This is a toxin produced by Gibberella fungi that grow on corn and wheat, and it mainly affects piglets from 3 months to 5 months of age; after eating it, pigs show estrogen-like symptoms.
Clinically, small and medium-sized sows and castrated sows can be seen with estrus-like symptoms: swollen and bright red labia, flushed vaginal mucosa, in some cases prolapse of the uterus or anus, raised udders, and reduced libido; pregnant sows may farrow prematurely or miscarry; weaned sows may have delayed or abnormal estrus; farrowing sows have prolonged parturition, with more weak piglets and stillbirths.
T-2 toxin is another toxin produced by Gibberella fungi, with vomiting and diarrhea as its main features.
Acute: often onset occurs half an hour after feeding, with listlessness, staggering gait, refusal to eat, vomiting, inflammation of the skin around the lips and nose, stomatitis, salivation, diarrhea, and hemorrhagic enteritis.
Chronic: poor appetite, indigestion, stunted growth, anemia; sows have lower conception and farrowing rates, and miscarriage, premature farrowing, or stillbirths occur.
Necropsy shows: extensive hemorrhage and damage to internal organs, myocardial hemorrhage, and enlargement of the liver and spleen.
This is a poisoning disease in which a mold nephrotoxin causes damage to the kidneys and liver, with polyuria as the main clinical feature.
When the ochratoxin content is 1 mg/kg and feeding lasts for 3 months, it can cause diarrhea, frequent urination, anorexia, and dehydration in pigs, along with stunted growth and low utilization, etc. Necropsy shows rubbery kidneys, and extensive degeneration of the liver with a hard and brittle texture.
Ergot alkaloid toxin poisoning
Poisoning symptoms can appear within days or weeks, including depression, reduced appetite, accelerated heartbeat and breathing, poor body condition, and lameness; in severe cases, necrosis of the tail, ears, and hooves and sloughing of putrid flesh occur.