Vomitoxin
Vomitoxin is the term for deoxynivalenol (DON), a mycotoxin produced by Fusarium graminearum before harvest. Vomitoxin is the most common contaminant of corn, wheat, and DDGS in North America and Europe (Rodrigues and Naehrer, 2012; Hendel et al., 2017) and swine is the most sensitive species. Vomitoxin interferes with protein synthesis, modulation of immunity, and activity of neurotransmitters in the brain (Osweiler and Ensley, 2012). Despite what the name suggests, vomitoxin rarely induces vomiting in swine. Acute toxicity is uncommon, but in that case vomit, diarrhea, severe digestive lesions, and sudden death occur (Young et al., 1983). Chronic vomitoxin toxicity is more common and of practical importance. In most cases, a sharp decrease in feed intake is evident and, consequently, a reduction in growth rate upon first exposure (Frobose et al., 2015). The impact on feed intake is dose-dependent, with an estimation of 4% decrease in feed intake for every additional ppm of vomitoxin above the dietary concentration of 1.5 ppm (Frobose et al., 2015).