[Changes in the genital tract of female swine after feeding with practice-relevant amounts of zearalenone].

Zearalenone is one of the most frequent, naturally occurring mycotoxins in feedstuffs: 13.9% of 710 samples analyzed contained zearalenone in concentrations of 1.0 to 1,725 micrograms/kg. Trial feeding with female pigs demonstrated that a zearalenone concentration of 250 micrograms/kg feed produced distinct redness and swelling of the vulva, slight swelling of the mamma and numerous vesicular follicles and some cystic follicles on the ovaria. The symptoms on the external genital tract were not observed when the zearalenone concentration in the feedstuff, was 50 micrograms/kg but the section also established that vesicular follicles on the ovaria of these animals were more frequent than on the ovaria of the control animal.