Most of the pigs on a farm in Aichi Prefecture, Japan had chronic diarrhea and severe wasting. The pigs had consumed 8,000 ppm zinc oxide (ZnO) as a feed additive. The pancreas of each of 4 autopsied pigs was less than half the normal size. Acinar cells were considerably decreased. Epithelial duct–like cells were increased and tested positive for cytokeratin AE1/AE3, Ki67, PGP9.5, and Sox9. Pancreatic islet cells were decreased and shrunken. The α and δ cells were relatively decreased, and their distribution was abnormal. Islet cells were positive for PGP9.5. The livers and kidneys had high accumulations of zinc (Zn; 788 µg/g and 613 µg/g, respectively). Copper was deficient in the liver, likely as a result of Zn poisoning. Our immunohistologic examination suggested that the high dose of ZnO could influence the function of islet cells in addition to that of acinar cells. Given that colistin sulfate has been banned as a feed additive in order to reduce antimicrobial use in Japan, the use of ZnO in the livestock industry is expected to increase. Zn supplementation of pig feed must be monitored to prevent Zn poisoning and contamination of soil and water.

日本爱知县一个农场上的大多数猪都出现了慢性腹泻和严重浪费。这些猪已经消耗了8,000 ppm的氧化锌（ZnO）作为饲料添加剂。4只尸检猪的胰腺均小于正常大小的一半。腺泡细胞明显减少。上皮导管样细胞增加，细胞角蛋白AE1 / AE3，Ki67，PGP9.5和Sox9呈阳性。胰岛细胞减少并缩小。α和δ细胞相对减少，分布异常。胰岛细胞PGP9.5阳性。肝脏和肾脏中锌的积累量很高（分别为Zn； 788 µg / g和613 µg / g）。铜可能是锌中毒的结果，肝脏中的铜缺乏。我们的免疫组织学检查表明，高剂量的ZnO可能除了影响腺泡细胞外，还可能影响胰岛细胞的功能。鉴于日本已经禁止硫酸大肠菌素作为饲料添加剂以减少抗菌剂的使用，因此预计在畜牧业中使用ZnO的人数会增加。必须监测猪饲料中锌的补充，以防止锌中毒以及土壤和水的污染。