Toxicology of aflatoxin B1, warfarin, and cadmium in young pigs: metal residues and pathology.

The effects of feeding dietary cadmium (83 micrograms/g of diet) to young pigs on the distributions of copper, iron, and zinc in urine samples and in kidney, liver, and muscle tissues was determined. The diet with added Cd resulted in renal and hepatic tissue concentrations of 42.90 +/- 10.57 micrograms/g and 7.90 +/- 2.37 micrograms/g, respectively, at the 40th day of the experiment. Iron was found to decrease at the same time, which predisposed to the anemic condition of these pigs. The feeding of dietary CD to pigs prevented extensive fatty hepatocytic infiltration and severe jaundice, but not hydropic degeneration induced by aflatoxin B1. Cadmium increased the toxicity of warfarin with severe lameness, subcutaneous hematomas in the ventral surface of the neck, and death.