Mold-Help.org - The world's largest TOXIC MOLD website
  • Mold Basics
    • Mold Overview
    • Mold Symptoms
    • Mold Types & Images
    • Fungal Infections
  • Resources and Tools
    • Home Care
    • Health & Diet
    • Tips for Parents
    • Coping with Loss
    • Private Research
    • Legal Suggestions
    • Mold in the Bible
  • Mold News
    • Current Headlines
    • “Sick Buildings”
    • The Environment
    • Construction Industry
    • Govt. & Politics
    • The Workplace
    • Landlords & Tenants
    • Insurance Companies
    • Schools & Institutions
    • Strange Fungal Tales
    • Personal Mold Stories
    • Additional Articles
  • Agencies & Experts
  • About Mold-Help
    • Mold-Help News
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Zearalenone, Zaralenol and the Estrogenic Syndrome

in Fungal Infections /by Carolyn Willbanks

Zearalenone and zearalenol are produced almost exclusively by Fusarium species that contribute to the ear and stalk rot that occurs in the ears of corn and on the heads of cereal grains (scab) standing in the field or in stored ear corn in the Corn Belt. However, in 1986, these mycotoxins were detected in delayed harvest soybeans at up to 5 ppm. When consumed by swine at more than 0. 1 to 5 parts per million (ppm) (mg toxin per kg body weight), these compounds cause the estrogenic syndrome, which is characterized in females by a swollen and edematous vulva with enlarged mammary glands and in young males by a shrinking of the testes. Young gilts may show uterine prolapse. The financial loss to farmers comes about primarily through poor reproductive performance.

Estrogenism in swine and dairy cows is usually more prevalent in the winter and early spring because, once the fungus is established in the grain, it generally requires a period of relatively low temperatures to produce biologically significant amounts of zearalenone. When some strains of Fusarium graminearum grow in corn they produce a mixture of toxins along with zearalenone. One or more of these can cause severe stunting and other deleterious effects in swine.

Decreased fertility, prolonged estrus, and swelling of the vulva are signs that dairy cows have fed on rations containing zearalenone as well as other natural toxicants produced through natural infection of feed ingredients (corn, hay, barley). Animals vary as to their response, but some will show standing estrus at mid-cycle.

Broiler chicks and laying hens, unlike swine and dairy cows, are affected very little by dietary zearalenone even when fed massive doses. Pure zearalenone fed to broiler chicks and finishing broilers at rates from 10 to 800 ppm produced no effect on weight gain, feed consumption, and feed-to-gain ratio. The weights of the liver, heart, spleen, testicles, oviduct, comb, and bursa were similar to those in the controls that received no zearalenone. In laying hens, zearalenone had no effect on egg production, egg size, feed consumption, body weight, fertility, hatchability of fertile eggs, or reproductive performance. When turkeys ate feed containing 300 ppm of zearalenone (a massive dose), they developed greatly enlarged vents within 4 days, but there were no other gross effects.

The effects of zearalenol are similar to zearalenone, but zearalenol is generally considered to produce estrogenic effects five to ten times greater than those of zearalenone. Fusarium graminearum requires a minimum of 22 to 25 percent moisture to grow in cereal grains. Generally, shelled corn stored at these moistures is likely to be colonized by a mixture of other fungi, yeasts, and bacteria with which F. graminearum competes poorly. F. graminearum ear rot is primarily a problem in stored corn in cribs exposed to low temperatures.

Carolyn Willbanks
Author: Carolyn Willbanks

Tags: Zearalenone, zearalenol, and the estrogenic syndrome, zearaline, zeraline
Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
https://www.mold-help.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/moldhelp-654x300.png 0 0 Carolyn Willbanks https://www.mold-help.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/moldhelp-654x300.png Carolyn Willbanks2005-09-10 00:11:252019-02-28 22:19:27Zearalenone, Zaralenol and the Estrogenic Syndrome

Mold Basics

  • Mold Overview
  • Mold Symptoms
  • Mold Types & Images
  • Fungal Infections

Latest Posts

  • Michigan Family Finds Toxic Mold Inside Home
  • California Winter Storms: Water Damage and Mold Exposure Concerns in California
  • Office and Commercial Buildings at Risk for Mold after COVID-19 Closings
  • COVID-19 Symptoms May Include Loss of Taste and Smell
  • New Mold Detox Information on the Horizon
  • COVID-19 Courses of Action
  • Stachybotrys
  • Simple and Easy Ways to Prevent the Coronavirus
  • Your Air Conditioning Unit Helps Eliminate Mold
  • Construction Workers Are Learning to Control Dust and Debris

Search Our Site:

Need Help with Mold?

Are you being affected by mold or other mycotoxins in your environment? Our team and community has over 15 years experience and can provide guidance. You can reach us by submitting your contact or through our Facebook page.

Have a Story to Share?

We're looking for stories and input to expand our database and to add to the personal experiences we've received from the thousands of victims over the last 15. If mold has impacted your life, please take the time to share your story. Your information is confidential and will only be shared with your permission.

Seeking Mold Experts

Are you an expert in the treatment of mold-affected health illnesses, or a provider of services to victims of mycotoxin exposure? Submit your information for listing consideration in our Agencies & Experts resource database.

Additional Resources

  • Contact Us
  • Sitemap
  • Glossary of Terms
  • Survivor Resources
  • General Inquiries
  • Legal Disclaimer

© Copyright - Mold-Help Organization
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Mold Basics
  • Resources and Tools
  • Agencies & Experts
  • Mold News
  • About Mold-Help
Scroll to top

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

OKLearn more

Cookie and Privacy Settings



How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

Accept settingsHide notification only