Diacetoxyscirpenol toxicity in pigs.

Purified diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS) mycotoxin fed to growing pigs at 0, 2, 4, 8, and 9 ppm for as long as nine weeks caused several lesions at all levels. The pigs developed multifocal, proliferative, gingival, buccal and lingual lesions. The small intestine had both glandular and mucosal cell hyperplasia. No other lesions were seen at necropsy or in any of the 19 tissues examined microscopically using haematoxylin and eosin stain. A one-way analysis of variance revealed statistically significant (P less than 0.05) decreased ration consumption and weight gain at all levels of DAS. Total ration refusal occurred at 10 ppm of DAS. There was no effect on the packed cell volume, haemoglobin concentration, total red blood cell count, total white blood cell count, 300 cell differential, terminal bone marrow smears or on the serum levels of aspartate transaminase, serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase and lactic dehydrogenase at any level of DAS. Based on the gross and microscopic lesions, decreased ration consumption and decreased weight gain the no-effect level was less than 2 ppm of DAS in the ration.