Ergotism in an organic sow herd and the impact on lactation performance and subsequent reproductive performance

Ergot alkaloids (EA) are produced by fungi, including Claviceps purpurea, which can lead to EA contamination of wheat and cereal grains and cause sow agalactia by inhibiting prolactin production. In this case of sow agalactia and increased piglet mortality, a diagnosis of ergotism was made based on clinical signs and feed analysis. The lactation diet had EA at 330 ppb and was fed to sows for 12 to 14 days resulting in 79% (50%) mean (SD) mortality in exposed litters. Ergot alkaloid levels as low as 0.33 mg/kg of feed (0.33 ppm) may result in clinical signs in lactating sows.