Mycotoxin Symptoms – What You Should Know!

Mycotoxins are natural substances produced by moulds. All natural materials and many man-made ones are subject to contamination by moulds and under favourable environmental conditions, when temperature and moisture are conducive, these fungi proliferate and may produce mycotoxins. Over 500 mycotoxins have been identified and this number is steadily increasing. There are several different species of moulds, which generate these mycotoxins. Mycotoxins are the subsidiary metabolites as a biotic armament against other life forms.  Mycotoxin symptoms depend on the type of mycotoxin.

Origin of Mycotoxins:

1. Food and Agriculture: Agriculture has big issues with mycotoxins. Over 25% of the world's agriculture is affected by mycotoxins. Crops like corn, wheat, and peanuts are the origins for mycotoxins and these gradually end up in food. If the crops are not properly stored after harvesting, then moulds can grow and spoil the crops.
   

Types of Mycotoxin:

Below are some of the most common mycotoxin types:

1. Aflatoxins
2. Trichothecenes
3. Zearalenone
4. Ergot Alkaloids
5. Fescue toxins
6. Sporidesmin
   

Symptoms of Mycotoxins:
Mycotoxins can affect animals in a number of ways. Below are some of the mycotoxin symptoms:

• Immunosuppression: Low immunity against environmental and microbial stressors. More vulnerable to diseases.
• Decreased food consumption and dairy production (eg: milk, eggs, meat). Significant weight loss and decreased weight gain.
• Increased body temperature.
• Increased liver weight, kidney weight. Higher incidence of liver damage and cancer.
• Reproductive effects such as decreased breeding efficiency, infertility, compromised reproductive performance. Higher abortion rates and lower pregnancy rates. Birth of smaller and unhealthy calves.
• Haemorrhage, bruises and swelling of the mouth or paunch.
• Neurotoxic effects such as restlessness, anorexia, occasional convulsions, and ryegrass staggers.
• Pathological changes such as diarrhoea, lameness, necrosis of abdominal fat.

Mycotoxin Contamination in Animal Feed - The Problems and the Solutions

Mycotoxins in animal feed is a widespread problem that concerns all animal farmers. Be it stored feed grains or natural lush forage hays; Mycotoxins are everywhere. Mycotoxins are natural substances produced by moulds. All natural materials and many man-made ones are subject to contamination by moulds and under favourable environmental conditions, when temperature and moisture are conducive, these fungi proliferate and may produce mycotoxins. Over 500 mycotoxins have been identified and this number is steadily increasing. Once ingested, Mycotoxins create a combination of medical conditions in animals, which is commonly referred to as mycotoxicosis. Mycotoxicosis results in a loss of productivity, reducing the overall health of the farm animals and in case of severe infections, it can also lead to the death of the animals.

Different Animal Feed Mycotoxins And Their Effects

Moulds that grow well in natural feed crops like maize, wheat, etc. and storage grains contribute to mycotoxicosis in animals. The most common fungi producing harmful Mycotoxins are Fusarium, Aspergillus, Penicillium and Claviceps.. The various detrimental effects of the most important Mycotoxins on animals are as follows:

• Aflatoxin: Carcinogenic, causes liver cancer, liver diseases, immune suppression, etc.
• Fumonisin: Toxic effects on liver cells, toxicity in nephrons, pulmonary oedema, immune suppression, leukoencephalomalacia, etc.
• Ochratoxin: Immune suppression, frequent abortion, reduced feed intake, liver damage, nephrotoxicity, etc.
• Trichothecenes: Oedema, disrupted digestion, changes in blood circulation, reduced immunity, etc.
• Zearalenone: Frequent abortions, reduced reproductive capacity, reduced urge of copulation, atrophy conditions in both male and female gonads, oestrogenic disorders.
• Ergot alkaloids: Disrupted nervous system, suppressed immune responses, gangrenous syndrome, etc.
  

Both forage grass and feed grain can be contaminated with major Mycotoxins and after ingestion create the above-mentioned clinical conditions in animals.

Mycotoxicosis prevention methods:

As more than 500 known Mycotoxins naturally occur in farms and are often masked with sugar molecule bonding, sampling methods often fail to resolve the Mycotoxin contamination issues. Modern scientific approaches to mycotoxicosis prevention adapt two more significant feed additives that can either render the toxins harmless or control Mycotoxin production. These methods are as follows:

• Mycotoxin inhibitors: These compounds are harmless to the animals but when these are added to animal feed can significantly control mold growth and hence stop new Mycotoxin production.
• Mycotoxin adsorbents: Usually aluminosilicates or yeast cell wall derivatives are used to bind with already present Mycotoxins converting them into harmless complexes.
  

Apart from these methods, weed control, crop rotation, proper storage methods can also help in stopping Mycotoxin contamination.

Things You Need To Know About Storage Mycotoxin

Mycotoxins are a common problem on farms, and are natural substances produced by moulds. All natural materials and many man-made ones are subject to contamination by moulds and under favourable environmental conditions, when temperature and moisture are conducive, these fungi proliferate and may produce mycotoxins. Over 500 mycotoxins have been identified and this number is steadily increasing.

The impact of these Mycotoxins however can be severe on cattle, pigs, horses, poultry and fish. Moulds grow well on both forage and grains before they are harvested. Mycotoxin inhibitors can control the new fungal growth in crops. But that does not put an end to mould contamination as Storage Mycotoxins are very common in animal feed that is stored after the crop harvest. There are several reasons behind the growth of moulds and related Mycotoxins in a storage environment.

Factors promoting Mycotoxin contamination in storage feed:

• Poor drying conditions and the presence of more than 12% - 15% air moisture.
• Poor sealing and packaging.
• Delayed sealing of foraging and feed grain materials.
• Cold damp temperatures.
• Shady poor storage areas.
• Delayed harvesting of field crops.
• Silages.
• Well aerated atmosphere.
  

Types of storage moulds and related Mycotoxins:

The two most common storage fungi are Aspergillus and Penicillium. These moulds are tolerant to acids and they frequently occur in silages. There are several species related to these two moulds that produce toxic secondary metabolites known as Mycotoxins that commonly contaminate feed grains and foraging materials.

• The Mycotoxins produced by Aspergillus are - Aflatoxin, Fumitoxins, Ochratoxins, Cyclopiazonoic acid, Gliotoxin, Sterigmatocystin, Fumitremorgens etc. All the toxins can be found in great numbers in contaminated storage grains.  Aflatoxin deserves a special mention as it is the most common and it is heavily carcinogenic and can cause many issues within farm animals.
• The Mycotoxins produced by Penicillium are - Ochratoxin, Citrinin, Patulin, PR toxin, Roquefortin C, Penetrem, Mycophenolic acid, etc. Among these Ochratoxin, PR toxin and Patulin are the most common.
  

Clinical symptoms of storage toxin contamination:

• In the case of Aflatoxin: Reduced milk production, reduced immune responses, reduction in rumen motility, damaged liver (can even lead to hepatic cancer), frequent abortions, etc.
• In the case of Ochratoxins: Easily absorbed by the animal gut this Mycotoxin reduces protein synthesis in the animal’s body, effects the immune system adversely, affects kidneys, reduces normal enzyme actions, reduces cellular respiration, causes abortions and can even lead to cancer.
• In the case of PR toxins: Disturbs rumen homeostasis, retained placental conditions with frequent abortions, reduces normal feed intake, lethargy, irritation and inflammation of gut, etc.
  

In the case of Patulin: Reduced rumen function, reduced digestive capacity, carcinogenic and death. 

Some Ways To Deal With Mycotoxins Problem

Mycotoxins are toxic substances that may be present even in clean looking and well preserved feed for your cattle. They are present in almost all the animal feed and so a proper way to deal with the problem needs to be devised. Let’s look at some such ways.

• Grow and harvest cleaner crops
  

It is not possible to completely remove the mycotoxins but there are certain other ways in which you can handle the situation. One effective way is to grow and harvest cleaner crops for the cattle. After harvesting, the crop needs to be stored as quickly as possible in a clean clamp. This will not eliminate the threat of mycotoxins but it will help reduce the growth of mould in the grains.

• Minimise the impact of mycotoxins
  

Most cattle diets can suffer from mycotoxin contamination. So one should do everything possible to reduce the mycotoxin level in animal feed. A broad spectrum mycotoxin binder such as Alltech’s Mycosorb A+ can help mitigate the threat to animal health. The objective of adding a binder is to bind a wide range of mycotoxins in the feed rapidly after the cattle consumes it.

• Lab tests of feed
  

Lab tests will help you analyze and understand the level of mycotoxins present in your grain and once you get to know the level, it will help you to manage the problem effectively. Samples of the suspect grain can be sent to commercial analytical laboratory to evaluate the mycotoxins level. By knowing the level you can mix good quality grain with contaminated grain to reduce its harmful effect, but most importantly know the best inclusion rate for your mycotoxin binder depending on the level of risk to your animals and your profits.

Keep Your Livestock Safe From Mycotoxins With a Mycotoxin Binder

Any natural farm environment is home to not only crops and animals but also to fungi and molds, which produce Mycotoxins that can adversely affect the farms productivity. Molds primarily proliferate in cereals or feed such as maize.

Any farm feed subjected to improper storage can suffer mold growth. Even a small amount of mold can contain significant levels of Mycotoxins. This condition may not be detected by naked eye but Mycotoxin affected animals usually show the following symptoms:

• Sore hocks
• Reduced milk yield
• Abnormality in reproduction
• Poor health and disease prone animals
• Increased cell counts
• Degraded productivity

All of the above-mentioned symptoms in farm animals may be an indication of a Mycotoxin infection on a farm. A few common Mycotoxins that negatively impact the farm are Aflatoxin, fumonisin, ochratoxin, T2 toxin, zearalenone and vomitoxin. These are mainly produced by molds like Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium. Over five hundred different Mycotoxins have been discovered up to now. Feed grain can be contaminated by a single Mycotoxin or a mix of different Mycotoxins and hence it becomes difficult to eradicate the issue through sampling. Any Mycotoxin mitigation method must be efficient and effective enough to combat a broad spectrum of Mycotoxins.

Mycotoxin binding formulations and their effects:

A Mycotoxin binder is a formulation often containing active minerals and  gluco-mannans that bind to Mycotoxins reducing the impact of their toxicity. A good mycotoxin binder will provide a broad spectrum of toxicity mitigation. The combined action of gluco-mannans and active minerals is highly important in decreasing the threat from Mycotoxins and preventing financial losses to the farm.

Due to effective binding to feed additives the Mycotoxins fail to cross the intestinal walls of the animals and as the two are bound together the binder excretes the Mycotoxin along with itself out of the animal providing enough safety and protection to the animals.

Understanding What The Mycotoxin Inhibitor Is And Its Uses

Mycotoxin contamination is a common farm problem found across the globe. Basically these toxins are produced by molds. Some strains of fungi and molds are commonly known to produce Mycotoxins which impart negative effects on farm animals such as reduced feeding, poor breeding, weak and poor performing animals and also loss of the immune system. All of these adversely affect the farm’s profitability. It therefore becomes crucial to understand molds, Mycotoxins and their mitigation processes to prevent economic losses caused by Mycotoxin contamination.

Molds and their classifications:

Molds can be classified in to two broad classes according to their storage and harvesting process.

• The first is the field fungi that naturally grows on crops even before the crops are harvested. Fusarium sp. is a common example that is widely known for producing Mycotoxins like fumonisin, vomitoxin, DON, zearalenone, T2 etc. These molds require specific climatic conditions to grow and once an infection occurs, it is expected to hit an entire geographical location.
• The second type of mold is the storage mold. These require low moisture concentrations to grow and so reproduce very well in grain storage bins or grain facilities. These may or may not contaminate all the grain present in a bin and so these types are difficult to sample out or to detect. Aflatoxin producing molds such as Penicillium and Aspergillus are common examples of storage molds.
  

Mold and Mycotoxin Inhibiting agents:

A mycotoxin inhibitor or binder is a special formulation that is added to animal feeds. In activated conditions, these formulations reduce mold infection by putting an end to mold growth. As mold growth is reduced the chance of fungal proliferation in feed grain also reduces leading to a reduced chance of Mycotoxin contamination. Such inhibitors are often a mix of several organic acids, especially propionic acids being the chief component of a inhibitor formulation.

These inhibitors are most commonly used as feed additives and they do a wonderful job in preventing the proliferation of Mycotoxin producing molds.

The Affect of Mycotoxins on Livestock

Mycotoxins are toxic substance that are produced by mold that grows in the food of the livestock during the handling or storage. Molds can produce mycotoxins under a wide range of conditions and can enter the animal through feed or through their bedding.

How Mycotoxins Affect livestock?

Mycotoxins have a number of negative effects on livestock. Here are the most common types of ways that they can cause damage to livestock –

• Animals will start to eat less food than they usually do. Some might even refuse to eat at all.
• The animals will be able to absorb little nutrients from the food that they eat. In addition, their body will metabolise fewer nutrients in the body.
• The hormone system of the livestock can also be affected due to mycotoxins. The endocrine and exocrine systems will be adversely affected.
•  The immune system of the livestock will have to work a lot harder and will stop working entirely in time.
  

Biologically, mycotoxins can harm the livestock in a number of ways that is not seen with the naked eye at first. It produces liver and kidney toxicity. It also affects the central nervous system of the animals. It greatly altars the fertility and the reproduction cycles in the animals. More often than not it decreases the immune system of the body and makes it totally non-functioning. Some of the main types of mycotoxins that are produced from the fungus in grain are Aflatoxin, Ochratoxin, Trichothecene, Vomitoxin and Zearalenone.

How To Fight Mycotoxins?

First, you need to keep a check on the condition of the animals to find out if they are affected by mycotoxins. One of the best treatments is the binder that pulls the mycotoxins out of the system of the animal. You can normally see results within 30 days. In addition to that, the bedding of the animals needs to be cleaned more often in order to keep it mold free. You can also use a mold inhibitor in the grain itself in order to keep the infestation from occurring. The adding of mycotoxins additive to the feed can help increase the shelf life and prevent the mold development in  a number of situations.