• Chickens with watery droppings
• Chickens with little appetite
• Decreasing laying rate
• Poor eggshell quality

• Cows with unexplainable diarrhea
• Cows with reduced feed intake
• Lower milk yield and high somatic cell count
• Laminitis

• Pigs with diarrhea
• Pigs that don’t eat enough
• Ear and tail necrosis
• Sows with lacking milk production

Endotoxins are always and everywhere present. They are toxic compounds from bacterial origin. Their main goal is to protect bacteria, but when the bacteria dies, the endotoxins are released. The most well-known endotoxin is LPS. Learn more about Endotoxins

Bacteria are everywhere, so endotoxins are in the air, dust, drinking water,… The highest levels, however, are present in the lumen of the gut. When low levels of LPS are present, the immune system can usually handle the situation. Harm will be caused when LPS levels in the gut start to rise and/or when gut permeability increases.

On the one hand, antibiotic treatments and feed transitions are known to cause elevation of LPS level in the gut. On the other hand, events such as heat stress, mycotoxins, pathogens and weaning have a negative impact on the gut permeability, promoting leakage of endotoxins. Once LPS reaches the bloodstream through the gut barrier the endotoxins trigger inflammatory responses. Read more on inflammation.

Inflammatory reactions are very energy and nutrient-consuming. All this critical energy will be used to fight the inflammation and will no longer be available for necessary growth. The result will be a lower feed intake and efficiency, leading to reduced production performance and reproductive health, while it can also make animals more susceptible for diseases and other issues.