Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a nephrotoxic mycotoxin with carcinogenic properties. Its presence was detected in various foodstuffs all over the world but with significantly higher frequency and concentrations in areas with endemic nephropathy (EN). Even though food is often contaminated with more than one mycotoxin, earlier studies focused on the occurrence and toxicology of only OTA. Only a limited n...

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced and accumulated by mould. This study assessed the ability of 89 lactic acid bacteria, isolated from different sources, to degrade two mycotoxins by Alternaria: alternariol and altenuene. The mehodology employed was the thin layer chromatography. The results obtained allow us to demonstrate that a 16.85% of the strains (15/89 strains) are capable of ...

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites of fungi that contaminate a large variety of foods and have toxic effects on humans. The best protection against mycotoxins is to monitor their presence in food. This paper shows the screening results of mycotoxins present in 76 samples of different groups of grain foods. Samples of grain food were analyzed for contamination with aflatoxins, ochratoxin...

Respiratory infections, recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) and exercise induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) are major causes of poor performance in horses. Fungi and mycotoxins are now recognised as a major cause of these conditions. The most notable fungi are Aspergillus and Fusarium. Fungal spores can originate from forage, bedding and feed and, in turn, these fungal spores can produce a ser...

Mycotoxins contamination in food is a serious source of health risks. This paper evaluates the Italian consumers’ perception of the mycotoxins’ risk through their willingness to pay (WTP) for a hypothetical bottle of milk obtained by cows fed with, inter alia, maize certified for the “good practices” (GPs) that reduce this risk. Therefore, a web-based stated choice experiment (SCE) has been car...

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by many important phytopathogenic and food spoilage fungi including Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium species. The toxicity of four of the most agriculturally important mycotoxins (the trichothecenes, and the polyketide-derived mycotoxins; aflatoxins, fumonisins and sterigmatocystin) are discussed and their chemical structure described. The step...

Chronic exposure to toxigenic molds in water-damaged buildings is an indoor environmental health problem to which escalating health and property insurance costs are raising a statewide concern in recent times. This paper reviews the structural and functional properties of mycotoxins produced by toxigenic molds and their interactive health implications with antifungal drugs. Fundamental bases of...

Mycotoxicoses are acute or chronic diseases of humans and animals caused by mycotoxins, toxic compounds produced by moulds. Of about 400 known mycotoxins only a small number are known to cause mycotoxicoses in humans. Organs that are most targeted are those in which mycotoxins are metabolised, that is, the liver and kidneys, but the lesions may affect the neurological, respiratory, digestive, h...

The aim of this study was to determine the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), total antioxidant status (TAS) and accumulation of Hsp70 in porcine ovarian granulosa cells after deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEA) exposure in vitro. Porcine ovarian granulosa cells were incubated with DON/ZEA administrations as follows: group A (10/10 ng/mL), group B (100/...

To date, no study has effectively demonstrated a direct human exposure to mycotoxins in mold-contaminated buildings. Therefore, the authors investigated the presence of trichothecene mycotoxins in sera from individuals exposed to indoor molds (specifically Stachybotrys chartarum). Sera from occupants of contaminated (test samples, n=44) and uncontaminated (control samples, n=26) buildings were ...