Effect of supplemental vitamin E and selenium in high moisture corn diets on the incidence of mulberry heart disease and hepatosis dietetica in pigs.

Forty-eight intact male pigs were used to investigate the influence of source of protein supplement, corn moisture content, and supplemental vitamin E-selenium survived the cidence of mulberry heart disease, hepatosis dietetica and associated lesions. Pigs fed soybean meal-high moisture corn diets survived fewer days than pigs fed the other diets. None of the pigs fed torula yeast-dry corn or soybean meal-high moisture corn without supplemental vitamin E-selenium survived the 13 week trial. Supplemental vitamin E-selenium increased survival of pigs. A higher incidence of hepatosis dietetica, myocardial degeneration, skeletal muscle degeneration, and exudative diathesis was observed in pigs fed torula yeast-dry corn or soybean meal-high moisture corn than pigs fed soybean meal-dry corn. Supplemental vitamin E-selenium resulted in a reduction in the incidence of the above lesions by approximately 50% with the exception of hepatosis dietetica. Tissue selenium concentration did not appear to be related to the incidence of the various lesions.