title: Research note: Effects of deoxynivalenol on immunohistological parameters in pigs.
abstract: TheFusarium toxin deoxynivalenol (DON) is known to exert immunomodulatory effects. Numerous studies in mice demonstrated that dietary exposure leads to an upregulation of polymeric serum immunoglobulin A (IgA) suggesting the mucosal immune system as a primary target while at the cellular level T cells and macrophages are involved in this process.The present study aimed to verify these effects in pigs. A total of 24 male pigs were subjected to four treatments, a control group fed a diet devoid of DON, a chronically exposed group receiving a diet containing contaminated wheat (5.7 mg DON/kg diet), an acute orally exposed group receiving only one meal (550 g) of the contaminated feed and an acute intravenous exposed group receiving 53 μg DON/kg body weight. Cryosections of the spleen and the jejunum of the pigs were immunohistologically stained for IgA+, CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ cells. The number of positive stained cells did not differ significantly between the treatment groups and the control group of any of the specimen.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Nutrition, Federal Agricultural Research Centre (FAL), Bundesallee 50, 38116, Braunschweig, Germany, s.doell@vet.uu.nl.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Döll
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Goyarts
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Rothkötter
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dänicke