Low concentrations of zearalenone in diets of mature gilts.

Four groups of sixteen gilts were each individually fed diets containing 0, 3, 6 or 9 ppm pure zearalenone starting the day after they exhibited puberal estrus. They were artificially inseminated twice at subsequent heat periods. Fifteen of the 30 gilts not exhibiting estrus within 80 d of the start of the experiment were slaughtered and their reproductive tracts examined. The remaining 15 gilts that did not return to estrus were fed the control diet after 80 d to determine the effect on return to estrus. Eighty-eight percent of the gilts fed 6 or 9 ppm zearalenone became pseudopregnant as confirmed by plasma progesterone levels and(or) examination of their reproductive tracts. However, three animals fed the two higher levels of zearalenone conceived and farrowed. No conclusions can be made regarding the effect of zearalenone on litter size due to the relatively few numbers of gilts fed the higher levels of zearalenone that farrowed. Gilts fed diets containing 6 or 9 ppm zearalenone returned to estrus spontaneously (n = 7) or following injection of cloprostenol (n = 8) approximately 45 d after the removal of zearalenone from their diet.