Mycotoxicoses in veterinary medicine: Aspergillosis and penicilliosis.
Abstract: Molds and mycotoxins are contaminants of animal feed causing spoilage and clinical intoxication. Animal exposure to mycotoxins reflects diet composition with major differences occurring between animals kept predominantly of pastures, i.e. ruminants and horses, and those consuming formulated feed like pigs and poultry. Mixed feeds are composed of several ingredients, often sourced from different continents. Subsequently, practitioners may confront endemic diseases and signs of toxin exposure related to toxins imported accidentally with contaminated feed materials from other countries and continents. Mycotoxins comprise more than 300 to 400 different chemicals causing a variety of clinical symptoms. Mycotoxin exposure causes major economic losses due to reduced performance, impaired feed conversion and fertility, and increased susceptibility to environmental stress and infectious diseases. In acute cases, clinical symptoms following mycotoxin ingestion are often non-specific, hindering an immediate diagnosis. Furthermore, most mold species produce more than one toxin, and feed commodities are regularly contaminated with various mold species resulting in complex mixtures of toxins in formulated feeds. The effects of these different toxins may be additive, depending on the level and time of exposure, and the intensity of the clinical symptoms based on age, health, and nutritional status of the exposed animal(s). Threshold levels of toxicity are difficult to define and discrepancies between analytical data and clinical symptoms are common in daily practice. This review aims to provide an overview of and toxins that are frequently found in feed commodities and discusses their effects on animal health and productivity.
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Publication Date: 2020-06-15 PubMed ID: 32782737PubMed Central: PMC7413002DOI: 10.30466/vrf.2020.112820.2686Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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This research article delves into the issue of mold and mycotoxin contamination in animal feed and the resulting illnesses in animals, particularly aspergillosis and penicilliosis, which can deteriorate animal health and productivity.
Overview of Mycotoxins
- The paper focuses on mycotoxins, which are toxic substances produced by molds that cause various diseases, known as mycotoxicoses, in animals.
- Mycotoxins often contaminate animal feed, resulting in clinical intoxication, with effects that range from reduced performance and fertility to increased susceptibility to stress and diseases.
- There are 300 to 400 different kinds of mycotoxins, which contribute to a wide array of clinical symptoms in animals.
Feed Contamination and Animal Exposure
- The exposure of animals to mycotoxins depends largely on their diets, with ruminants and horses kept on pastures experiencing different risks from pigs and poultry that consume formulated feeds.
- Mixed animal feeds often contain ingredients from various parts of the world, increasing the risk of introducing foreign mycotoxins and endemic diseases.
- Additionally, a single type of feed can be contaminated by multiple mold species, leading to intricate mixtures of various toxins in the feed.
Effects and Diagnosis of Mycotoxin Exposure
- Mycotoxin exposure can lead to several clinical symptoms that are often non-specific and thus hinder prompt diagnosis.
- The toxins can have additive effects, with the severity of the clinical symptoms relying on factors such as the level and duration of exposure, and the age, health, and nutritional status of the animal(s).
- Furthermore, defining threshold levels of toxicity is challenging due to discrepancies between analytical data and clinical symptoms.
Objective and Significance of the Review
- This article aims to provide an overview of mycotoxins frequently found in feed commodities and their impacts on animal health and productivity.
- By exploring the issue of mycotoxicoses in veterinary medicine, the paper sheds light on a major problem that causes substantial economic losses due to decreased productivity and increased morbidity in livestock.
Cite This Article
APA
Malekinejad H, Fink-Gremmels J.
(2020).
Mycotoxicoses in veterinary medicine: Aspergillosis and penicilliosis.
Vet Res Forum, 11(2), 97-103.
https://doi.org/10.30466/vrf.2020.112820.2686 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology , School of Pharmacy, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran.
- Department of Veterinary Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands .
References
This article includes 60 references
Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Penagos-Tabares F, Khiaosa-Ard R, Schmidt M, Bartl EM, Kehrer J, Nagl V, Faas J, Sulyok M, Krska R, Zebeli Q. Cocktails of Mycotoxins, Phytoestrogens, and Other Secondary Metabolites in Diets of Dairy Cows in Austria: Inferences from Diet Composition and Geo-Climatic Factors. Toxins (Basel) 2022 Jul 15;14(7).
- Durham AE. Association between forage mycotoxins and liver disease in horses. J Vet Intern Med 2022 Jul;36(4):1502-1507.
- Li L, Li S, Ma H, Akhtar MF, Tan Y, Wang T, Liu W, Khan A, Khan MZ, Wang C. An Overview of Infectious and Non-Infectious Causes of Pregnancy Losses in Equine. Animals (Basel) 2024 Jul 2;14(13).
- Tokamani M, Figgou E, Papamichail L, Sakka E, Toros A, Bouchorikou A, Giannakakis A, Matthaiou EI, Sandaltzopoulos R. A Multiplex PCR Melting-Curve-Analysis-Based Detection Method for the Discrimination of Five Aspergillus Species. J Fungi (Basel) 2023 Aug 11;9(8).
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