Aflatoxicosis in horses.

This article explores two cases of severe aflatoxin poisoning in horses, demonstrating that this species is susceptible to this poisonous fungus. The poisoning resulted in several serious health conditions in the horses, including brain and heart damage, liver disease, kidney problems, and intestinal bleeding.

Aflatoxin and Its Effects on Horses

• The study revolves around cases of acute aflatoxin poisoning in horses. Aflatoxins are toxins produced by certain types of fungi, often found in crops like corn, peanuts, and cottonseed, which are commonly used in producing horse feed. This research suggests that horses are vulnerable to the toxic effects of this mycotoxin.
• Upon exposure to aflatoxin, horses experienced a range of serious health problems. These included encephalomalacia – a softening or loss of brain tissue; the development of fat in non-adipose tissues, a condition known as fatty degeneration; necrosis, which is tissue death; and hyperplasia of the bile duct, suggesting an unusual increase in the number of cells in the bile duct.
• Other health issues observed included fibrosis of the liver (the thickening and scarring of connective tissue), fatty infiltration in the kidney (a degenerative condition where fats build up in the kidneys), hemorrhagic enteritis (an inflammatory disease of the bowel causing bleeding), and myocardial degeneration (the breakdown or loss of heart muscle tissue).

Diagnosis and Observations

• The poisoning resulted in hypoglycemia (low blood sugar levels), hyperlipidemia (excessively high levels of fats in the blood), and depletion of lymphocytes, types of white blood cells that play a key role in the immune system.
• The diagnosis of aflatoxin poisoning was based on visible and microscopic disease-related changes in the body, consistent with observations seen in other species that have been poisoned with aflatoxin.
• Crucially, the isolation of the aflatoxin from the animal’s feed and tissues further confirmed this diagnosis.

Prevention Measures

• A key preventive measure identified in this study was the removal of contaminated feed. Once the feed known to contain the harmful aflatoxin was taken away, no further disease or deaths were observed in horses. This highlights the importance of ensuring feed is free from aflatoxins to prevent such severe health issues in horses.