zearalenone on early pregnancy in swine

SUMMARY A corn culture of Fusarium roseum was added to astandardcorn-soybeanswine gestation ration. Low, middle,and high dosage mixed feeds contained 7, 38, and 64 mg ofzearalenone/kg offeed (7, 38, and 64 ppm) and 0.5, 2.5, and4.5 mg ofdeoxynivalenol/kg, respectively. Control feed wasthe standard ration without added F roseum corn culture.Mature gilts were bred bynatural service and fed control or F roseum molded feed from 3 to 34 days after breeding.'Themain effect ofthe molded feed was an inhibition offetal development, with decreased numbers of fetuses pres­ent in treated animals at slaughter (38 to 43 days afterbreeding). Normal litters were present in 7 of 8 controlanimals, in 2 of4 gilts given the low-dosagefeed, in 1 of 4gilts given the medium dosage, and in 0 of4 given the high­dosage feed, Corpora lutea were maintained in all treatedanimals, as evidenced by serum progesterone concentra­tions. Serum estradiol concentrations were decreased ingilts in the middle- and high-dosage groups. The genitalsystem of the gilts fed low- and middle-dosagefeeds had agross and microscopic appearance similar to that of thepregnant controls and reflected prolonged progesterone.stimulation. Morphologic changes in the genital system ofthe high-dosagegroup were intermediate between changesinduced by progesterone and those induced by estrogen,Clinical signs ofhyperestrogenism and partial feed refusalwere noticed in onlysome ofthehigh-dosagegroup animals,Zearalenone, a metaboliteof