The effects of prolonged oral exposure (28 days) to fumonisin were studied in young pigs. Animals were divided into three experimental groups and fed ad libitum using ratio containing: A) 0mg of FB1.kg-1 (as control); B) 10mg of FB1.kg-1; C) 30mg of FB1.kg-1. Pigs were observed twice a day; their weights and feed intake were registered weekly. Between the 20th and 24th day of intoxication, pigs in group C presented a decrease in feed intake and weight gain, and showed characteristic signs of porcine pulmonary edema, which was the death cause of one of the animals in this group on the 23rd day of the trial. After 28 days, animals were necropsized, their organs were submitted to macroscopic and histopathological analyses, and to the study of intestinal morphology and histology. Among the pigs that showed clinic signs of intoxication, pulmonary and hepatic lesions were observed. In intestine segments, a decrease on the height of the villus and the depth of the crypts as well as an increase on gland proportion per epithelial tissue were observed. It was concluded that substantial productivity losses may be induced on pigs fed ration contaminated with low levels of fumonisins.
fumonisins; pigs; porcine pulmonary edema
