
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, February 26, 1995                   TAG: 9502270052
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: SUFFOLK                                LENGTH: Short

CORN TOXIN KILLS 19 HORSES

A Suffolk horse has died from moldy corn poisoning, bringing to 19 the number of southeastern Virginia horses killed by a toxin in their feed, the Virginia Department of Agriculture reported.

A Smithfield veterinarian diagnosed the horse as having clinical symptoms of the disease, said Elaine Lidholm, an Agriculture Department spokeswoman.

The department announced Thursday that it was expanding its search for the toxin Fumonisin B1 in corn feed. Fumonisin B1 is a mycotoxin that causes leukoencephalomalacia, also called moldy corn poisoning.

Inspectors began taking samples of feed from manufacturers and dealers who mix their own feed in the area south of Interstate 64 and east of Interstate 95.

The most recent death could mean the testing will have to be expanded, Lidholm said. The source of feed for the horse is not yet known, but agriculture officials are concerned that it may have come from a previously unknown commercial source in southeastern Virginia or northeastern North Carolina.

The Agriculture Department urged horse owners to supplement corn feed with other feeds. It also said they should buy corn at a store that tests for the toxin.

by CNB