Pyrrolizidine alkaloid intoxication outbreaks in fattening pigs associated with drought-related feed contamination
Leiva Forns, Mariona (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Servei de Diagnòstic de Patologia Veterinària)
Cobos, Àlex (Unitat mixta d'investigació IRTA-UAB en Sanitat Animal. Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal)
Martino, Laura (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Sanitat i d'Anatomia Animals)
Loscertales Caballé, Sara Isabel (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Sanitat i d'Anatomia Animals)
Bosco, S. (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Sanitat i d'Anatomia Animals)
Serrano, B. (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Sanitat i d'Anatomia Animals)
Rodríguez-Largo, Ana (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Sanitat i d'Anatomia Animals)
Cid-Cañete, Marina (Unitat mixta d'investigació IRTA-UAB en Sanitat Animal. Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal)
Valiente, N. (Cargill Animal Nutrition & Health)
Carrión, D. (Cargill Animal Nutrition & Health)
Marcos-Cienfuegos, M. (Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Departamento de Sanidad Animal)
Pagola, R. (Cargill Animal Nutrition & Health)
Martínez, J. (Unitat mixta d'investigació IRTA-UAB en Sanitat Animal. Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal)
Domingo, Mariano (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Sanitat i d'Anatomia Animals)
Segalés Coma, Joaquim (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Sanitat i d'Anatomia Animals)

Data:	2025
Resum:	Pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA) intoxication is a well-documented condition in livestock, resulting from the ingestion of forage and grain contaminated with PA-producing plants. These phytotoxins primarily affect the liver and can lead to severe clinical and pathological disorders, particularly in highly susceptibility species such as pigs. Although sporadic cases of chronic PA toxicosis have been reported in swine, extensive outbreaks affecting large geographic areas have not been previously documented. This report describes a large-scale PA intoxication event affecting multiple intensive fattening pig farms in central Spain. Between September and December 2023, 21 pig production companies, representing more than 200,000 fattening pigs in Castilla y León and Castilla-La Mancha autonomous communities (central Spain), reported up to 80% of animals showing prostration, apathy and, occasionally, dark-coloured urine. Mortality during this period ranged 20-40% of affected pigs. At necropsy, animals exhibited variable discoloration of the livers and bleeding gastroesophageal ulcers. Microscopically, hepatic lobes showed an intense interstitial fibrosis and hepatocyte changes including megalocytosis, karyomegaly and canalicular cholestasis. These findings were compatible with chronic toxic hepatopathy. Toxicological analyses ruled out mycotoxins, heavy metals, and pesticides. However, PA contamination was confirmed in a high proportion of compound feed samples associated with contaminated barley with Europine-N-oxide, Heliotrine-N-oxide, and Lasiocarpine-N-oxide. Preventive measures such as changing the source of cereals, reformulating the feed, and using a toxin binder and detoxifying additives allowed resolution of the outbreak. This report documents a large-scale outbreak of PA intoxication in swine, associated with the use of barley contaminated with PA-producing plants, most likely Heliotropium europaeum, in central Spain. Environmental factors, such as drought followed by humid conditions and reduced herbicide application, likely facilitated PA-containing weed growth and subsequent contamination of cereal crops. This case underscores the growing risk of toxicoses linked to climatic and agronomic factors, emphasizing the need for enhanced monitoring and control of feed sources. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10. 1186/s40813-025-00457-2.
Drets:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Llengua:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Matèria:	Pyrrolizidine alkaloids ; Swine ; Intoxication ; Heliotropium europaeum ; Hepatotoxicity ; Barley contamination ; Climatic conditions
Publicat a:	Porcine health management, Vol. 11 (august 2025) , ISSN 2055-5660

DOI: 10.1186/s40813-025-00457-2
PMID: 40813719

8 p, 2.2 MB

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