DR. RODNEY W. HINTZ
Animal Nutritionist
W-L Research, Incl
Mycotoxins are poisonous com
pounds produced by molds that
commonly grow on forages and feed
crops,
Although we have known of the
existence of these compounds in feed
grains for many years, recent evalua
tions have shown that they are more
widespread and may be causing far
more damage in forage crops than was
previously thought
Mycotoxins are very diverse in
their modes of action: some affect the
nervous system, while others attack
the liver, kidneys, or reproductive or
gans.
Effects of mycotoxin poisoning
(mycotoxicosis) range from very sub
tle changes in animal performance to
very dramatic reactions, including
birth defects, abortions, tumors, and
even death. All mycotoxins will affect
feed intake, animal performance, and
long-term health if present in suffi
cient quantities.
The main mycotoxins associated
with forages include aflatoxin, vomi
toxin (also called deoxynivalenol or
DON), funionism, T 2, zearalenone,
and ochratoxin. Some scientists be
lieve that there are a number of other
very important mycotoxins that have
yet to be identified and characterized.
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My cotoxins: What Are They, Why Should We Care?
As Table 1 shows, the maximum re
commended level of the major myco
toxins that can be safely fed in live
stock diets varies from several
hundred parts per million (ppm) to
only a few parts per billion (ppb). To
put this in perspective, one part per
billion is equivalent to one kernel of
com in 11,000 bushels! Mycotoxins
are potent and must be considered as a
serious threat when present.
Forages can become contaminated
with molds and mycotoxins at any
point in the process of growth, har
vesting. storage, or transportation.
Prolonged exposure to moisture tends
to be the most common factor asso
ciated witih mycotoxicosis, such as
occurs when bay is baled too wet or
forage sits for an extended period of
time in the windrow prior to harvest
Mycotoxin levels in excess of the
recommended safe levels have even
been detected in a standing crop of al
falfa prior to harvest, indicating that
the molds that produce mycotoxins
can thrive on growing alfalfa.
Diagnosing mycotoxin poisoning
can be very difficult as the affected
feedstuffs do not always appear to be
moldy and moldy feeds do not always
contain mycotoxins. The exact condi
tions that induce toxin production are
not fully understood, but include
temperature, moisture, pH of the sub
strate, and environmental stress during
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the plants’ growth.
Diagnosis is further complicated by
the wide array of symptoms that can
be expressed in animals depending
upon the specific mycotoxin and its
concentration in the diet. Acute myco
toxicosis is usually manifested as the
sudden death or abortion of several
animals within a short time period or a
sudden decrease in the health status of
a number of animals that is not cor
rected through the use of antibiotics.
Often the effects of mycotoxicosis are
not this dramatic and are more com
monly observed as decreases in ani-
Table 1. Acute toxicity levels ofmycotoxins in the diets of ruminant livestock.
mu oroxix ,\( i 11: Toxicm u:\ ix
Aflatoxin
Ochratoxin
Vomitoxin (DON)
T-2 Toxin
Fumonisin
Zearalenone
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mal performance, conception rates,
and feed intake levels and an in
creased susceptibility to diseases.
Laboratory analyses to identify my
cotoxin contamination are available
through several commercial testing la
boratories but are too expensive to be
used on a routine basis. If mycotoxi
cosis is suspected, however, all feeds
in use at the time should be analyzed.
Because the presence of mold does not
guarantee that mycotoxins are present,
the samples should be analyzed speci
fically for mycotoxins and not just the
(Turn to Page 13)
20 ppb (Lactating Dairy Cows)
200 ppb (Breeding Cattle)
300 ppb (Finishing Cattle)
S ppm
10 ppm
50 ppm
95 ppm
500 ppm
201
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