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Topic:Food Safety
Food safety in horses encompasses practices and standards aimed at ensuring the health and well-being of horses through the management of their dietary intake. This includes the assessment and control of potential contaminants and pathogens in equine feed and water sources. Key concerns in equine food safety include the presence of mycotoxins, pesticide residues, and bacterial pathogens such as Salmonella and Clostridium botulinum. Proper feed storage, sourcing, and preparation are integral to preventing foodborne illnesses in horses. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the detection, impact, and management of food safety issues in equine nutrition.
Clinical application of interferons in large animal medicine. Interferons are efficacious therapeutic agents for treatment of several clinically important diseases in cattle and horses. In some instances, the therapeutic goal of IFN administration is prevention or clinical cure of acute viral infections. On the other hand, IFN may serve as adjunctive treatment to diminish clinical manifestations of disease and improve the quality of life. Oral administration of IFN alpha appears to be a safe and convenient route of administration, and the therapeutic benefit likely develops via unique mechanisms involving oropharyngeal-associated lymphoid tissue for diss...
Regulatory aspects of fumonisins with respect to animal feed. Animal derived residues in foods. The fumonisins are a recently discovered class of mycotoxins produced primarily by Fusarium (F.) moniliforme and F. proliferatum. Fumonisins present in mycotoxin-contaminated feed have been identified as the causative agent of equine leukoencephalomalacia and porcine pulmonary edema. To prevent these diseases, FDA has utilized informal guidance levels for fumonisins in feed and initiated a surveillance program for fumonisins in feed corn and corn by-products during FY 93 and 94. Natural contaminants present in animal feed can enter the human food supply as residues present in animal tissues an...
Detection of Trichinella spiralis muscle larvae in naturally infected horses. Human trichinellosis outbreaks related to horsemeat consumption have been reported in France and Italy in recent years. In order to determine if Trichinella is present in horses slaughtered at an abattoir in the State of Mexico, diaphragm muscle tissue samples (22-37 g) from 80 horses were examined by artificial digestion. Four of these samples had larvae that were characterized as Trichinella sp. by morphological criteria and as Trichinella spiralis by the polymerase chain reaction.
Genotypic and phenotypic analysis of Salmonella strains associated with an outbreak of equine neonatal salmonellosis. Isolates of Salmonella choleraesuis serotype ohio (S. ohio) recovered during an outbreak of equine neonatal salmonellosis on a Thoroughbred farm were compared with isolates of the same serotype from various animal, feed and environmental sources. Biochemical profiles, antimicrobial susceptibility patterns, phage susceptibility, plasmid profiles, restriction endonuclease analysis and ribotyping were used to compare relatedness of the strains. A total of 46 outbreak and non-outbreak associated isolates of S. ohio were studied. Differences in antimicrobial susceptibility patterns, phage susceptib...
Fumonisins: their implications for human and animal health. Fusarium moniliforme is one of the predominant fungi associated with corn intended for human and animal consumption world-wide. Fumonisins, food-borne carcinogens that occur naturally in corn, were first isolated and chemically characterized in South Africa in 1988. The major metabolite, fumonisin B1 (FB1), was subsequently shown to cause leukoencephalomalacia (LEM) in horses, pulmonary edema syndrome (PES) in pigs, and liver cancer in rats. FB1 is also a cancer promoter and initiator in rat liver; hepatotoxic to horses, pigs, rats, and vervet monkeys; cytotoxic to mammalian cell cultures; and...
Endogenic nortestosterone in cattle? When residues of nortestosterone (NT) were found in the urine of cattle, racehorses or bodybuilders, exogenic administration was thought to be proven. In previous literature, no records were found of the endogenic presence of this molecule. In the horse-racing world, Houghton and Courthot found that NT is normally present in the urine of the stallion. Belgian and Dutch researchers found that NT is also present in the urine and edible parts of the intact boar. Vandenbroeck et al. (1991) suggested the endogenous presence of NT (in the beta form) in the pregnant cow. Meyer (1992) reported the pre...
Genus-specific detection of salmonellae in equine feces by use of the polymerase chain reaction. Members of the genus Salmonella were identified in feces from horses, using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and genus-specific oligonucleotide primers. Feces from healthy horses were determined to be culture-negative for Salmonella spp. Fecal samples were inoculated with known numbers of colony-forming units (CFU) of S anatum, S derby, S enteritidis, S heidelberg, S newport, and S typhimurium. The DNA was extracted from fecal samples and amplified by PCR, using genus-specific primers. Sensitivity of the assay extended to 10(3) CFU of Salmonella sp/g of feces; sensitivity of microbiologic c...
Toxicity and Role of Fumonisins in Animal Diseases and Human Esophageal Cancer. Fumonisins are secondary metabolites of Fusarium moniliforme , Fusarium proliferatum and several other Fusaria that commonly contaminate corn. Only recently discovered in 1988, these mycotoxins appear to be the causative agents of several toxicoses in animals that result from ingestion of moldy corn or corn-based feeds. The syndromes observed vary considerably among the different species affected and include brain lesions in equids, lung edema in swine, and nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity and hepatocellular carcinoma in laboratory rats. There is also evidence that suggests that F. moniliforme a...
Fumonisin contamination of the 1991 Indiana corn crop and its effects on horses. No abstract available
Basis for regulation of selenium supplements in animal diets. Selenium was discovered 174 yr ago but, until 1957, was given little notice by biologists or was vilified as an agent that caused toxicity in grazing ruminants and horses in the northern Great Plains. After its status as an essential nutrient was established, Se received intense scrutiny, and hundreds of papers have been published dealing with its metabolic functions and the consequences of a Se deficiency. Because regions of Se deficiency are so extensive in the United States, great efforts have been made to gain Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for Se supplementation of animal die...
Dietary selenate versus selenite for cattle, sheep, and horses. Food and Drug Administration regulations currently permit addition of .3 mg of Se per kilogram of diet for chickens, turkeys, ducks, swine, sheep, and cattle. However, field reports indicate that this level may not be adequate for ruminants in all situations. Because sodium selenite is the most common supplemental form and is known to be readily absorbed to particles or reduced to insoluble elemental Se or selenides in acid, anaerobic environments, studies were conducted with dairy cattle, sheep, and horses fed sodium selenate to determine whether Se from this source was more bioavailable than...
Mutagenic potentials of fumonisin contaminated corn following ammonia decontamination procedure. Naturally contaminated corn implicated in an outbreak of equine leukoencephalomalacia (ELEM) in southeastern Arizona was analyzed for mutagenic potential using the Salmonella/microsome mutagenicity assay before and after treatment with the ammonia procedure. Crude acetonitrile: water (1 + 1) extracts of high-pressure/ambient temperature (HP/AT) ammonia decontaminated, HP/AT plus low pressure/high temperature (LP/HT), and non-ammoniated fumonisin contaminated corn were tested for mutagenic potentials. Relatively pure (approx. 90%) fumonisin B1 standard was also tested for comparison purposes. T...
The implications of naturally occurring levels of fumonisins in corn for human and animal health. Contamination of corn with the fungus Fusarium moniliforme and its secondary metabolites, the fumonisins, has been associated with several human and animal diseases. This paper summarizes present knowledge and presents new data on the levels of fumonisins present in foods and feeds associated with these diseases as well as in commercial corn and corn-based products. The doses of fumonisins to which humans and animals consuming these products would be exposed are compared with those doses known to produce LEM in horses and hepatocarcinogenesis in rats. It is concluded that the known naturally o...
Common horse sense. This research article corrects a common misconception about the energy metabolism in horses during short sprinting and long-distance running events, emphasizing that short sprints are primarily powered by anaerobic activity, [...]
Botulism associated with feeding alfalfa hay to horses. Botulism was believed to be the cause of progressive symmetric myasthenia in 8 horses on a farm in North Carolina. One horse was found dead, 6 were euthanatized after becoming recumbent, and 1 affected horse recovered. Cecal and colonic contents of 2 horses were determined to contain Clostridium botulinum spores. Alfalfa hay that was fed to the horses contained spores and toxin.
Concentrations of fumonisin B1 in feeds associated with animal health problems. Ninety-eight samples of feeds associated with 44 cases of equine leukoencephalomalacia (ELEM) and 83 samples of feed associated with 42 cases of a porcine pulmonary edema syndrome (PPE) were analyzed for fumonisin B1 (FB1). For comparison purposes, 51 feed samples not associated with PPE or ELEM were also analyzed. Feed associated with ELEM contained FB1 ranging from less than 1 microgram/g to 126 micrograms/g with 75% of the cases having at least 1 sample above 10 micrograms/g. Feeds associated with PPE ranged from less than 1 microgram/g to 330 micrograms/g with 71% of the cases having at le...
Survey of fumonisin production by Fusarium species. Fumonisins B1 (FB1) and B2 (FB2), two structurally related mycotoxins with cancer-promoting activity, were recently isolated from corn cultures of Fusarium moniliforme MRC 826. These toxins have been reported to be produced also by isolates of F. proliferatum. Contamination of foods and feeds by F. moniliforme has been associated with human esophageal cancer risk, and FB1 has been shown to be the causative agent of the neurotoxic disease leukoencephalomalacia in horses. Because of the toxicological importance of the fumonisins, the potential to produce FB1 and FB2 was determined in a study of ...
Urinary excretion of theobromine in horses given contaminated pelleted food. A high pressure liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for measuring the theobromine content in cocoa husks, pelleted food and horse urine is described. Starting with 2 ml of urine, concentrations of 500 ng/ml could easily be detected. When feed containing 38.4 mg of theobromine was given twice daily to horses for 2 1/2 days, two days were needed after the last intake before the theobromine concentrations fell below the threshold value of 2 micrograms/ml. The time at which the peak excretion rate occurred varied from 2 to 12 h after the last administration, while the excretion rate seemed to be ...
Chloramphenicol 3. Clinical pharmacology of systemic use in the horse. The use of chloramphenicol in the horse is now prohibited as horses are classified as food-producing animals. However, chloramphenicol has until recently been widely available for oral, intramuscular or intravenous administration. A critical appraisal of the published literature on the use of chloramphenicol in the horse clearly demonstrates that there are sound pharmacokinetic and microbiological reasons for concluding that chloramphenicol is not an appropriate antibiotic for systemic use. The short half-life of chloramphenicol in the horse, together with the broad range of minimum inhibitory...
Aspergillus flavus and aflatoxins B1, B2, and M1 in corn associated with equine death. Corn from an Arkansas farm, where three horses died and others became sick, was investigated for causative principles. Necropsy of the three horses revealed what appeared to be severe hepatic necrosis. Histopathological examination indicated a pattern of hepatic lesions that was suggestive of aflatoxin contamination of the feed. Mycological examination of the corn by dilution plating revealed 95% of the colonies as Aspergillus flavus. Chemical analysis of the corn for mycotoxins was positive for aflatoxin B1, B2, and M1 at concentrations of 114, 10, and 6 micrograms/Kg, respectively. Cyclopiaz...
Feed additives and contaminants as a cause of equine disease. The equine practitioner often encounters serious diagnostic and therapeutic challenges regarding the specific origin of a disease. Such challenges may occur when horses become unaccountably ill after consuming what was thought to be acceptable feed but which in fact was contaminated or contained additives intended for other species. Examples of such additives and contaminants are monensin, lasalocid, salinomycin, blister beetles, and such antimicrobics as lincomycin and clindamycin.
Asymptomatic salmonellosis in healthy adult horses. No abstract available
Application of high-performance liquid chromatography–inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to the investigation of cadmium speciation in pig kidney following cooking and in vitro gastro-intestinal digestion. The speciation of cadmium in retail pig kidney has been examined by size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) coupled directly to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Approximately 35% of the cadmium from uncooked kidney was soluble after aqueous extraction at pH 8 and SEC - ICP-MS revealed three discrete peaks whose retention times corresponded to estimated relative molecular masses of 1.2 x 10(6), 7.0 x 10(4) and 6 x 10(3)-9 x 10(3). In the cooked kidney, 35% of the Cd was soluble and was all associated with a peak of a relative molecular mass (Mr) of 6 x 10(3)-9 x 10(3). After s...
Tremorgenic syndromes in livestock. Grasses that are essential components of livestock grazing programs sometimes are the source of tremorgenic toxicants to the animals consuming them. Morbidity can be high but mortality need not be if management closely observes the cattle daily and removes them at first sign of trouble. Specific treatment generally is not available nor needed. Survivors recover completely within a few days or weeks, except in chronic phalaris poisoning, where sheep and cattle may die after prolonged illness--or at least not make an economical recovery. Certain poisonous plants are responsible for tremorgenic s...
Toxicity of field samples and Fusarium moniliforme from feed associated with equine-leucoencephalomalacia. Feed samples of corn, pelleted feed, and oats associated with equine leucoencephalomalacia (ELEM) were obtained from North Carolina, Illinois, Indiana, and Oklahoma. These samples contained a high colony density of Fusarium moniliforme Sheldon which ranged from 64 to 87% of the total fungi. Fifty-nine F. moniliforme strains were isolated. Isolates of F. moniliforme in feed samples from Illinois, Indiana, and Oklahoma were cultured on corn. The fermented corn, mixed with regular feed and fed to one-day-old ducklings, effected a high mortality coefficient (average 55%). Methanol extracts of corn...
[Sublimation-dried mare’s milk and the possibility of its use in creating infant and dietary food products]. The main biological parameters were studied in sublimated mare's milk: protein fraction composition, amino-acid spectrum, fatty-acid composition of lipids and the content of vitamins and mineral substances. A high biological value of the sublimated mare's milk has been proved, as well as significant proximity of its composition to human milk. Preliminary data have evidenced expediency of mare's milk use for the development of adapted milk mixtures for baby foods. However, the fatty component of the mixtures needs certain correction by addition of vegetable oil. The sublimated mare's milk can b...
Persistence of encysted Toxoplasma gondii in tissues of equids fed oocysts. Thirteen 6-month- to 13-year-old equids were each inoculated orally with 10,000 infective Toxoplasma gondii oocysts. The equids remained clinically normal. Equids were euthanatized on postinoculation days 33, 45, 90, 104, 120, 140, 162, 183, 197, 204, 211, 294, and 476. Their tissues were bioassayed for viable oocysts by feeding muscles to Toxoplasma-free cats and by inoculation of pepsin digests of 13 organs into mice. Using mouse inoculation, T gondii was recovered from tissues of the 9 equids euthanatized on each of postinoculation days 33, 45, 120, 140, 183, 197, 211, 294, and 476. Toxopla...
The prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in man in Plateau State and meat animals in Nigeria. Toxoplasma gondii antibodies were found in the sera of 22.86% of people in the Jos area of Plateau State, Nigeria. The incidence of antibodies in Nigerian food animals was 17.40%, the highest being in sheep (21.92%) and lowest in goats (13.88%). Cattle and horses were roughly equally infected--about 17.0%. The zoonotic potential of T. gondii in food animals is stressed and epidemiological factors are reviewed.
