Get to Know with Mycotoxin

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of fungi that commonly find in agricultural product which is use as animal feed. Cassava, peanut, corn (most frequently), sorghum, soybeans, and wheat are some agricultural product that may have mycotoxin contamination. Several species of fungi that can produce mycotoxins are Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp., and Fusarium sp. There are more than 300 types mycotoxins in the world. Mycotoxin that usually found in Indonesia are Aflatoxin produced by Aspergillus flavus, Zearalenon produced by Fusarium graminearum, and Ochratoxin produced by Aspergillus ochraceus. Here is a table that contains agricultural product and mycotoxin that may find in it.

Figure 1  Fungal Infection in corn

(Source: Penyakit Ayam dan Penanggulangannya 2)

Source: Penyakit Ayam dan Penanggulangannya 2

How Mycotoxin Contaminate Animal Feed

Mycotoxin contamination can occur when planting, harvesting, processing, storing, and transporting. Fungus that produce mycotoxin loves warm and humid environment with 9-25% of humidity and 4-42^OC of temperature. One type of agricultural product may be contaminated by more than 1 type of mycotoxin because many fungus species can produce several mycotoxins.

Mycotoxin Effect on Livestock

Mycotoxin cause mycotoxicosis. Mycotoxicosis clinical findings are depend on the type and amount of mycotoxins ingested. General clinical findings of mycotoxicosis are decreased growth, high FCR, and Immunosuppression.

Aflatoxin ingestion (B1, B2, G1, and G2) can cause liver, kidney and nerve failure. Aflatoxin ingestion also can cause immunosuppression in chiken. Cow can suffer from reproductive abnormalities while pigs can suffer from both chiken’s and cow’s.

Ingestion of Ochratoxin (both A and B) can cause kidney and liver failure for broiler chiken while in laying hen it can cause decrease of egg production. Ochratoxicosis  in livestock are dangerous f

or human because it can produce residues that may consumed by human.

Zealarenon  ingestion can cause reproductive abnormalities in pigs known as estrogenic syndrome. Estrogenic syndrome characteristics are vulva and mammary glands enlargement in sow while in boar it can cause mammary gland enlargement and testicle atrophy. Estrogenic syndrome in pregnant sow can cause fetal death.

Figure 2  Mycotoxicosis cause gut defect (left) and li

ver failure (right) in chiken

(Source: Penyakit Ayam dan Penanggulangannya 2 and MSD Manual Vet)

Mycotoxicosis Vulnerable Target

All livestock that consume agricultural product as feed are prone to mycotoxicosis. The vulnerability are increased when livestock are stress or have vitamin deficiencies. Giving them multivitamins are important to decrease mycotoxicosis incident in your farm. Vitamin C ad E as antioxidants can reduce mycotoxin potency. PT MITRAVET offer several water-soluble multivitamis that contain vitamin C and E to prevent mycotoxicosis. You can use MITRAVIT-100^®, CARVITA-15^®, AMIVIT-E^®, or SELEVIT-SB FORTE^®.

Figure 3  MITRAVIT-100^®, CARVITA-15^®, AMIVIT-E^®, SELEVIT-SB FORTE^®,

(Source: PT Mitravet’s documentation)

MITRAVET also provides some multivitamin premix that can be mixed into your animal feed. Choose MITRAMIX-C^® or VET-MIX^® for your chikens and pigs while you can choose CATTLEVET^® for your cattle.

Figure 4   MITRAMIX-C^®, VET-MIX^® , CATTLEVET^®

(Source: PT Mitravet’s documentation)

Detection Mycotoxin Contamination in Animal Feed

It is difficult to detemine which feed has been contaminated with mycotoxins. Mycotoxins analysis can be done with High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method. This method requires high cost and a lot of time. Mycotoxin contcentration in animal feed are usually low but mycotoxin can harm livestock with it’s low concentration. For example Aflatoxin can reduce broiler’s growth only with 0.3 mg/KgBW per day, Ochratoxin can increase chicken mortality by 42% only with 4 mg/kgBW per day for 2 months, Zearalenon can cause reproductive failure in cattle at 0.5 ppm concentration.

Mycotoxicosis Prevention

Mycotoxicosis are very difficult to treat. Prevention is the most efficient and effective way to avoid mycotoxicosis incident in your farm. There are some mycotoxicosis prevention can be done by farmer:

1. Provide a dry and pest-free storage room for your feed. Humid condition can support fungi’s growth while pest such as insects and mice are mycotoxin carriers.
2. Perform routine pest controls programs using pet trap or pesticide.
3. Provide a well-ventilated storage room in order to avoid humid environment.
4. Wear particular clothes and masks during contact with feed at the storage room.
5. Use porous bag to store feed to keep feed well ventilated.
6. Avoid contact between feed bag and floor by using pallet as a base.

Adding mycotoxin binders substance in your animal feed is highly recommended to prevent myctoxicosis. Mycotoxin binders are active substance that can bind with mycotoxin to decrease it’s toxicity. Some examples of mycotoxin binders are hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate, zeolith, calcium hydroxyde, ammonium hydroxide, monomethylamine, and sodium bisulfite. PT MITRAVET has mycotoxin binder product called MYCO-GUARD^® that really easy to use by adding MYCO-GUARD^® into your animal feed. MYCO-GUARD^® contains hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate which can chelat half of mycotoxin’s β-dicarbonyl using uncoordinated metal ions to decrease mycotoxin toxicity.

Figure 5  MYCO-GUARD^®

(Source: PT Mitravet’s documentation)

REFERENCES

Hastiono S. 1983. Peranan mikotoksin dalam industri makanan ternak. Hemera Zoa. 71(2): 109-126.

Maryam R. 2006. Pengendalian terpadu kontaminasi mikotoksin.  WARTAZOA. 16(1): 22-30.

Mello JPF, Placinta CM, Macdonald AMC. 1999. Fusarium mycotoxins: a review of global implications for animal health, welfare and productivity. Anim Feed Sci and Tech 80: 183-205.

Rachmawati S. 2005. Aflatoksin dalam paKan ternak di Indonesia: persyaratan kadar dan pengembangan teknik deteksinya. WARTAZOA. 15(1): 26-37.

Richard JL. 2007. Some major mycotoxin and their myctoxicoses-An overview. Int J of Microb. 119: 3-10.

Tabbu CR. 2002. Penyakit Ayam dan Penanggulangannya. Vol 2. Yogyakarta: Kanisius.

Widiastuti R. 2006. Mikotoksin: pengaruh terhadap kesehatan ternak dan residunya dalam produk ternak serta pengendaliannya. WARTAZOA. 16(1): 116-127.

Widiyanti PM, Maryam R. Pemanfaatan bahan pengikat mikotoksin untuk menanggulangi kontaminasinya dalam pakan. WARTAZOA. 26(2): 91-101.