Appropriate monitoring and data analysis, help acknowledge changes in diet, animal health, and well-being, among others. It is also a key component of effective mycotoxin risk management.
In the past, the cases of mycotoxicoses that could be discovered or identified had to do with clinical observations, of animals in heavy suffering. However, today, thanks to farming technological advances in data management, we are able to identify the “less visible” problems that can often arrive after exposure to even “low” levels of mycotoxins. Appropriate monitoring and data analysis, help acknowledge changes in diet, animal health, and well-being, among others. It is also a key component of effective mycotoxin risk management.
Did you know that low levels of mycotoxins in the diet can diminish the ruminants' resilience against diseases, therefore increasing the incidence of the most common and expensive problems on the farm?
With advanced mycotoxin management, including feed quality monitoring and the most advanced techniques for mycotoxin deactivation for ruminants Mycofix®, we can safeguard farm profitability and ensure optimal performance. Let's address the issues associated with mycotoxins and enhance ruminant health and nutrition together.
There are hundreds of mycotoxins with different modes of action. The effects they can cause vary depending on the combination of mycotoxins present in the feed, their concentrations, and the status of health of the animal, among others. Some of the impacts they can cause on ruminants are covered in the overview below.
Figure 1. Major impacts of mycotoxins to different areas of cow’s health
Are you familiar with this common misbelief within the community of ruminant experts?
“Ruminants are more tolerant to mycotoxins than other species, as their rumen microbes act as a filter to detoxify them”.
Each mycotoxin is a unique molecule and requires individual consideration and while certain interactions with ruminal microorganisms may produce less toxic compounds (degradation), it's crucial to recognize that some mycotoxins are non-degradable, or even worse, some which get degraded can be turned into metabolites with increased toxicity (potentiation of the toxicity).
| Mycotoxin | Degradation in the Rumen | No Degradation in the Rumen |
|---|---|---|
| Aflatoxin | 0 - 42 % More toxic Aflatoxicol (Engel and Hagemeister, 1978) | 58 - 100 % |
| Zearalenone | 50 % α- and β-Zearalenol (Gruber-Dorninger et al., 2021) | 50 % metabolites more estrogenic |
| Trichothecenes (DON, NIV, T-2, etc.) | 15 - 99 % DOM-1 (Cote et al., 1986; Kiessling et al., 1984, Debevere, 2020) | 1 - 85 % |
| Ochratoxin A | 90 - 100 % (Mobashar et al, 2010) | 0 - 10 % |
| Fumonisins | No degradation (EFSA, 2018) | Unknown, no reported oral bioavailability |
| Enniantin B | 1 - 25 % (Debevere et al, 2020) | 75 - 99% |
A crucial aspect of managing mycotoxin risks in ruminants is shifting from reactive approaches based on clinical signs to proactive identification of contamination through subclinical signs. By the time clinical signs become apparent, significant economic losses may have already occurred due to less visible but costly impacts.
That's where the Differential Diagnosis for Mycotoxicoses in Ruminants comes in. This comprehensive resource distills technical knowledge derived from scientific research into a practical and easily understandable format for veterinarians, nutritionists, farmers, and other industry professionals.
Watch the video to see how this valuable booklet can aid in problem-solving on ruminant farms, providing insights and actionable strategies for managing mycotoxin risks. Additionally, you can browse through the document preview to gain a glimpse of how the Differential Diagnosis approach works in ruminant cases.
Don't miss out on the essential tool every ruminant expert needs for effectively assessing and managing mycotoxin risk. Explore the Differential Diagnosis for Mycotoxicoses in Ruminants today.
The Differential Diagnosis provides detailed support and suggested corrective actions for common problems. Broken out into management, nutrition, disease, and mycotoxins sections, each with multi-part in-depth analysis of potentials causes and solutions, this PDF is a value-add for anyone involved in herd management.
Download the Differential Diagnosis for Mycotoxicoses in Ruminants to:
Now it is clear that mycotoxins can either by-pass intactly or even converted into a more toxic version. It is also clear that mycotoxins are limiting factors for the successful management of the herd. Therefore, it is necessary that whenever there is any objective of productive, reproductive or health improvement in the farm, mycotoxins are not standing in between. Once the animals have been protected from mycotoxins through their inactivation, other solutions can be implemented to reach that goal.
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