Means to improve the robustness of newly weaned pigs exposed to mycotoxin-contaminated feeds **

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Mycotoxins, including deoxynivalenol (DON), are secondary metabolites of fungal infections that frequently occur in cereal grains and corn. Pigs are the most susceptible livestock species to DON and symptoms of exposure include reduced feed intake and growth, which represents a $60 million loss of profits for the Canadian pork industry with only modest DON contamination. Canadian Bio-Systems Inc. (CBS) is developing a novel feed additive (NUTRA-MIX) that can be used to mitigate negative impact of DON for swine. It is hypothesized that a feed supplement containing absorbents, yeast polysaccharides, and vitamins (i.e. NUTRA-MIX) will mitigate the reduction in growth performance for weanling pigs exposed to DON by stimulating gut development and improving immune system robustness. The objectives are to evaluate the effect of NUTRA-MIX on growth performance and understand its mode of action through indices of gut health and development and immune system function of weanling pigs exposed to DON-contaminated corn during the nursery period. After weaning, 256 pigs will be randomly allocated to 32 pens of 8 pigs and assigned to nursery diets made with mycotoxin-contaminated (3 mg DON/kg complete diet) or uncontaminated corn and with or without NUTRA-MIX supplementation in a 2X2 factorial arrangement. Growth performance, resilience to an E. coli infection, and evaluation of gut health and development will be determined. Humoral and cell-mediated immune responses will be measured in response to vaccination. If our hypothesis is supported, there is no doubt that CBS will immediately translate these results into improved products that will benefit the Canadian swine industry, particularly as producers look for alternatives to antibiotics for growth promoting benefits and to improve the health and wellbeing of their pigs. Expanded business from the results of the project will also ensure the growth of CBS, increase revenue for the company, and ensure job security for its employees.