Treatment Options

Stoppage of exposure

•  Cutting off exposure can prevent further growth of trichothecene concentration in the animal, ensuring less severe side-effects and more successful treatment in the animal.

Activated Charcoal

• Use of activated charcoal is recommended for trichothecene toxins that were taken through the mouth.

• Activated charcoal works by adsorbing the toxin in the gastrointestinal tract and preventing it from causing damage to the animal’s cells.

Dexamethasone

• Laboratory studies have shown that the survival rate in affected animals that were treated with dexamethasone is greater than 50%.

• This should be administered at a dose of 1mg/kg at 12, 24 and 48 hours after the first dose.

Magnesium Sulphate

• Use of magnesium sulphate has been shown to be helpful in managing acute cases of trichothecene toxicity in pigs.

• This treatment is more effective when used together with activated charcoal.

De-Epoxidation

• This involves the use of an enzyme derived from bacteria to de-epoxidize the trichothecene. The chemical structure of trichothecenes is made up of the 12,13-epoxy-trichothec-9-ene nucleus. The 12,13-epoxide ring is responsible for their toxicity and damages to cells.

•  De-epoxidation is the degradation of the trichothecene’s epoxide group.

• The process by which this occurs is called biotransformation and deoxynivalenol is converted to deepoxydeoxynivalenol.