Morphological and Histochemical Studies of Skin, Mucous Membranes, and Claws in Pigs with Experimental Biotin Deficiency
September 1981
in “
Zentralblatt für Veterinärmedizin Reihe A
”
Studysummary In this animal study, pigs on a biotin-deficient diet showed significant hair loss, weak and brittle claws, and skin lesions after 8–10 weeks, with tissue necrosis observed microscopically after 15 weeks.
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The study investigated the effects of biotin deficiency in 6 improved Landschwein pigs starting at 4 weeks of age. After 8-10 weeks on a biotin-deficient diet, the pigs exhibited significant clinical symptoms, including hair loss, pustule formation on the skin, and the development of weak, brittle, and crusty horn material on the claws. Microscopic examination after 15 weeks revealed circumscribed necrosis in the stratum corneum of the skin, oral and esophageal mucosa, and claws, particularly in the inner root sheath of hair follicles. These changes varied among individual pigs, and histochemical differences from control pigs were only observed when pathological changes were evident in the epithelium.
