Research note: Effects of deoxynivalenol on immunohistological parameters in pigs

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.