Mycotoxins: From Field to Feed
The word mycotoxin is derived from the Greek words mykes, which means ‘fungus’, and toxikos, which means ‘poison’. The most common mycotoxins that have been linked to toxic syndromes in livestock and/or humans include aflatoxins (AFs), trichothecenes (deoxynivalenol – DON and T-2/HT-2 toxins), fumonisins (FUM), zearalenone (ZEN), ochratoxin A (OTA), and ergot alkaloids (EAs), but the isolation and characterisation of ‘new’ mycotoxins (also called emerging, although more correctly denominated neglected mycotoxins) indicate that human and animals are daily exposed to a mixture of these natural contaminants, resulting in mycotoxicosis.
Irrespective of the origin of the nutrient source, such as grains, cereals and forages, it is not feasible to completely prevent the field contamination of crops and more than 70% of animal diets are contaminated with at least two mycotoxins. Mycotoxin production will depend on the fungi species, geographical area, climate, storage conditions and many other factors.
The clinical effects will be described in six chapters dedicated to swine, poultry, ruminants, fish, pets, and horses because the symptoms are species-specific and depend on the animal’s susceptibility. Factors influencing vulnerability are low or high oral bioavailability, the capacity to degrade mycotoxins into less or more toxic metabolites, or the combination of mycotoxin exposure with infectious diseases. The severity of the symptoms will vary with animal species, age, sex, exposure time and concentration of the mycotoxins in the diet.
The seminar Mycotoxins: From Field to Feed will take held on 19-20 September. This is both a seminar and the launch of a book about the impacts of mycotoxin contamination in feed. The book Mycotoxins: From Field to Feed was prepared after many years of direct contact with farmers, nutritionists, veterinarians and researchers involved with the mycotoxin issue. As mycotoxins are a worldwide problem, the book was written by experts from different areas of the globe. The bridge between fundamental and applied research was achieved by keeping each chapter focused on field questions. Moreover, practical solutions are outlined to help the reader to formulate management processes and make pragmatic decisions on the use of feed ingredients.