Duration of Zearalenone Exposure Has Implications on Health Parameters of Lactating Cows
Raul Rivera-Chacon,
Thomas Hartinger,
Ezequias Castillo-Lopez,
Claudia Lang,
Felipe Penagos-Tabares,
Rita Mühleder,
Rana Muhammad Atif,
Johannes Faas,
Qendrim Zebeli,
Sara Ricci
Affiliations
Raul Rivera-Chacon
Institute of Animal Nutrition and Functional Plant Compounds, Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
Thomas Hartinger
Institute of Animal Nutrition and Functional Plant Compounds, Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
Ezequias Castillo-Lopez
Institute of Animal Nutrition and Functional Plant Compounds, Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
Claudia Lang
Institute of Animal Nutrition and Functional Plant Compounds, Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
Felipe Penagos-Tabares
Unit Nutritional Physiology, Institute of Physiology, Pathophysiology and Biophysics, Department of Bio-Medical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
Rita Mühleder
Institute of Animal Nutrition and Functional Plant Compounds, Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
Rana Muhammad Atif
Institute of Animal Nutrition and Functional Plant Compounds, Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
Johannes Faas
dsm-firmenich, ANH R&D Center Tulln, 3430 Tulln, Austria
Qendrim Zebeli
Institute of Animal Nutrition and Functional Plant Compounds, Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
Sara Ricci
Institute of Animal Nutrition and Functional Plant Compounds, Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
There is a limited research focus on evaluating the detrimental effects of prolonged zearalenone (ZEN) intake on dairy cows’ health under controlled conditions. This experiment was conducted to evaluate whether the length of exposure to a ZEN-contaminated total mixed ration (TMR) at a level of 9.45 mg per day can negatively influence animal health parameters, such as milk composition, rumen and fecal fermentation, and the chewing activity of lactating dairy cows. For this experiment, we used 18 lactating Simmental cows that were fed a diet of 60% forage and 40% concentrate (on dry matter basis) for 26 consecutive days. The first 4 days were for adaptation prior to the first sampling day (day 0). The sampling events took place on day 0 (baseline) without ZEN, followed by day 1, day 7, day 14, and day 21 (with toxin). Dry matter intake (DMI) and ruminating chews per minute increased on the third week of ZEN inclusion; meanwhile, ruminating, eating, and drinking times were not affected. Most milk composition variables were also unaffected. Rumen fluid osmolality increased on day 21 and total short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) of ruminal fluid decreased on day 7. Fecal SCFA increased on day 21 and the acetate-to-propionate ratio increased from day 1 onwards, showing the influence of toxin intake. Animal health parameters, like heart rate, respiratory rate, and body temperature, were negatively influenced by ZEN intake, all increasing consistently on days 4 and 6, 9 and 12, and 16 and 18, respectively. The liver enzyme glutamate dehydrogenase decreased in response to ZEN intake on day 7. A total daily ZEN intake at the level of 9.45 mg did not show detrimental effects on DMI. Nevertheless, certain health parameters were negatively affected, including body temperature, respiratory rate, and heart rate, starting from the 7th day of ZEN intake, with additional signs of possible loss of water balance on the last sampling day.
