Post-weaning piglets fed with different levels of fungal mycotoxins and spray-dried porcine plasma have improved weight gain, feed intake and reduced diarrhea incidence.

Mycotoxins are responsible for economic losses in the swine production industry, especially during post-weaning, when piglets are physiologically immature. Spray-dried porcine plasma (SDPP), added to pig diets, may help reduce losses due to mycotoxins. This work investigates the effects of SDPP in post-weaning piglets fed with diets containing natural contaminants or with more contaminants (co-contamination by mycotoxins). Fifty-six castrated weaned piglets were used in a randomized 2 (0 and 6% of SDPP) x 2 (natural contamination or co-contamination with mycotoxin) factorial design, with seven experimental units of two piglets each. The natural contaminants were 0.95 µg/kg aflatoxins +450 µg/kg fumonisins. The co-contaminated diet contained 300 µg/kg aflatoxins +8000 µg/kg fumonisins. Animals were fed 15 days with experimental diets. Feed intake, weight gain, feed efficiency, diarrhea incidence, and economic feasibility of SDPP treatement were evaluated in three periods of five days each. There was no interaction (P < 0.05) between mycotoxins levels and SDPP. Feed intake, weight gain and feed efficiency were higher (P < 0.05) in diets supplemented with SDPP. Animals fed with SDPP showed lower (P < 0.05) diarrhea incidence in the 1-10 day and 1-15 day periods. The experimental dose of mycotoxins reduced (P < 0.05) weight gain at 11-15 days. SDPP proved to be economical feasible over the total experimental period (1-15 days). Spray-dried plasma improved weight gain, feed intake and reduced diarrhea incidence in piglets post-weaning, but did not correlate with various levels of mycotoxins.

Effects of supplementation with spray-dried porcine plasma on blood variables on piglets feed with diet contaminated by mycotoxins.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the supplementation spray-dried porcine plasma (SDPP) effects on body weight, glucose levels and hematological and immunology variables for piglets fed with diet contaminated with low or high aflatoxin and fumonisin levels. Thus, 24 piglets were allotted in four groups, and the group A received a control diet; the group B received a diet with 6% of SDPP; the group C 300 µg/kg of aflatoxins and 8000 µg/kg of fumonisin; the group D 300 µg/kg of aflatoxins, 8000 µg/kg of fumonisin and 6% of SDPP, respectively. A significant increase on hemoglobin concentration and hematocrit levels was observed between C and A groups, result similar also in group D to hemoglobin concentration. A significant reduction on leukocytes and monocytes levels was observed in the group C compared to group A. Most important finding was that SDPP prevented reduction on leukocytes, but not in the monocytes levels in animals of group D. Moreover, the animals of group C presented lower weight, in the same way presented lower on glucose levels. In the other hand, animals in the group C had higher levels of nitrate/nitrite (NOx) and C-reactive protein (CRP) compared other groups. Based on these evidences, the present study showed ingestion of diet contaminated with elevated aflatoxins and fumonisins levels may negatively affected the white cell count and the weight, increasing the seric biomarkers related to inflammatory response, and consequently impairs the immune system. Additionally, SDPP supplementation for piglets prevents the reduction on leukocytes levels and the negative effects associated with weight gain, as well as minimizing the inflammatory response, demonstrating that SDPP can modulate the inflammatory processes and consequently may improve the immune system due active proteins presents in SDPP.