EFFECTS OF FEEDING GRAINS NATURALLY CONTAMINATED WITH Fusarium TOXINS ON SELECTED HAEMATOLOGICAL PARAMETERS AND LYMPHOCYTE SUBSETS IN PRIMIPAROUS SOWS

Abstract

In a controlled field experiment (54±1 days), 20 primiparous sows (day 89±2 of gestation) were randomly divided into two equal groups. The sows were fed diets naturally containing 0.3 mg/kg of the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) for the control group and 5.1 mg/kgDON, 0.1 mg/kg zearalenone and 21.6 mg/kg fusaric acid for the experimental group. The sows from the experimental group consumed significantly less feed during gestation (P=0.002), during lactation (P=0.027) and in the weaning to oestrus interval (P<0.001) than control sows. Blood samples were taken four times during the experiment (day 0, 17, 42 and 52). There were no differences in total and differential blood leukocyte count, with the exception of neutrophils on day 52, which reached 42.22±9.02% in the experimental group and 32.10±10.65% in the control group (P=0.040). Flow cytometric analysis of peripheral blood T lymphocytes with monoclonal antibodies against CD3, CD4 and CD8 revealed the percent of both CD3+CD4+ and CD3+CD8+ cells. We calculated the absolute number of CD3+CD4+ andCD3+CD8+ cells (109/L), which showed a decreasing trend in the experimental group, with 2.40±0.63 and 3.83±1.15, respectively, at the beginning and 1.78±0.39 and 2.74±0.89, respectively, at the end of experiment. In the control group, these values were 2.19±0.70 and 3.41±0.87 and finally 2.12±0.69 and 3.11±1.12 x 109/L, respectively. The obtained results suggest that feed naturally contaminated with Fusarium toxins reduces the feed intake, influences the neutrophil count, and has immunomodulatory effect on T lymphocyte numbers. Key words: leukocytes; T lymphocytes; mycotoxins; deoxynivalenol; flow cytometry; sow UČINEK KRME, NARAVNO KONTAMINIRANE S TOKSINI PLESNI Fusarium sp., NA IZBRANE HEMATOLOŠKE PARAMETRE IN LIMFOCITNE PODVRSTE PRVIČ BREJIH SVINJ Povzetek: V nadzorovanem poskusu, ki je na veliki farmi prašičev trajal 54±1 dan, smo 20 mladic (breje 89±2 dni) naključno razdelili v dve enaki skupini. Živali so zauživale krmo, ki je bila v kontrolni skupini naravno kontaminirana z mikotoksinom deoksinivalenolom v koncentraciji 0,3 mg/kg krme. Krma za poskusno skupino je vsebovala 5,1 mg/kg deoksinivalenola, 0,1 mg/kg zearalenona in 21,6 mg/kg fuzarne kisline. Mladice iz poskusne skupine so v obdobju brejosti (P = 0,002), laktacije (P = 0,027) in v času od odstavitve pujskov do ponovne osemenitve (P < 0.001) zaužile statistično značilno manjšo količino krme kot živali iz kontrolne skupine. Med poskusom smo mladicam štirikrat odvzeli kri (dan 0, 17, 42 in 52). V skupnem številu levkocitov in diferencialni krvni sliki med skupinama ni bilo statistično značilnih razlik, razen v številu nevtrofilcev 52. dan poskusa, ko je bila vrednost v poskusni skupini 42.22±9.02 % in v kontrolni skupini 32.10±10.65 % (P = 0.040). S pretočno citometrijo smo določili delež limfocitov T in njihovih podvrst, celic T pomagalk (CD3+ CD4+ ) in citotoksičnih celic T (CD3+ CD8+ ), ki smo jih označili z monoklonskimi protitelesi. Iz dobljenih podatkov smo izračunali absolutno število CD3+ CD4+ in CD3+ CD8+ (109 /L), ki se je v poskusni skupini zmanjševalo od 2.40±0.63 in 3.83±1.15 na začetku poskusa do 1.78±0.39 in 2.74±0.89 na koncu poskusa. Vrednosti v kontrolni skupini so bile na začetku poskusa 2.19±0.70 in 3.41±0.87 ter na koncu 2.12±0.69 in 3.11±1.12 x 109 /L. Rezultati kažejo, da zauživanje krme, naravno kontaminirane s toksini plesni vrste Fusarium, vpliva na ješčnost živali, število nevtrofilcev in ima imunomodulatorni učinek na število limfocitov T. Ključne besede: levkociti; limfociti T; mikotoksini; deoksinivalenol; pretočna citometrija; prašiči