A performance trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of microbially detoxified moldy corn in a corn-soybean meal-based starter diet for young pigs. Moldy corn containing 450 ppm of vomitoxin replaced clean corn in a control diet to give a diet containing 5 ppm of vomitoxin. The same amount of moldy corn was microbially detoxified by incubation with the contents of the large intestine of chickens (CLIC) and then incorporated into the control diet to give a "detoxified" vomitoxin diet, which contained 2.1 ppm of vomitoxin. A paired diet was formulated by incorporating the untreated moldy corn into the control diet to give a diet containing the same level of vomitoxin as the "detoxified" vomitoxin diet. Clean corn was also treated with CLIC and replaced corn in the control diet to give a biologically treated control diet. Each diet was fed to six pigs (three gilts and three boars) for 5 d and then all pigs were changed to the control diet for a further 5-d feeding period. During the first 5-d feeding period, no differences were observed in pigs fed either the control diet or the biologically treated control diet. A diet containing 5 ppm of vomitoxin decreased the pigs' daily feed consumption, weight gain, and feed efficiency by 25, 57, and 45%, respectively, compared with the control diet (P < or = .05). Daily feed intake, weight gain, and feed efficiency in pigs fed the "detoxified" vomitoxin diet were 19, 54, and 37% greater, respectively, than for pigs fed the vomitoxin diet (P < or = .05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)