Mycotoxic nephropathy in Bulgarian pigs and chickens: complex aetiology and similarity to Balkan Endemic Nephropathy

• Published in: Food additives & contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment Vol. 27; no. 1; pp. 72 - 88
• Main Authors: Stoev, S.D., Dutton, M.F., Njobeh, P.B., Mosonik, J.S., Steenkamp, P.A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Taylor & Francis Group 01.01.2010; Taylor & Francis; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Animal diseases; animal feed; Animal Feed - analysis; Animal Feed - toxicity; Animal productions; Animals; Aspergillus ochraceus; Balkan Nephropathy - etiology; Biological and medical sciences; Bulgaria; Causality; Chickens; Contamination; Drug Synergism; Etiology; Food contamination & poisoning; Food Contamination - analysis; Food industries; Food Microbiology; Food toxicology; fumonisins; Fumonisins - toxicity; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fusarium verticillioides; Gibberella fujikuroi; high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC); Humans; Kidney Diseases - etiology; Kidney Diseases - pathology; Kidney Diseases - veterinary; Meat products; Metabolites; Moniliformis; mycology; Mycotoxicosis - etiology; Mycotoxicosis - pathology; Mycotoxicosis - veterinary; Mycotoxins; Mycotoxins - analysis; mycotoxins - fungi; mycotoxins - ochratoxin A; Mycotoxins - toxicity; Ochratoxin A; Ochratoxins - toxicity; Penicillic Acid - toxicity; Penicillium; Penicillium aurantiogriseum; Penicillium citrinum; Penicillium verrucosum; Poultry Diseases - etiology; Rare species; screening assays; Sus scrofa; Swine; Swine Diseases - etiology; Swine Diseases - pathology; Terrestrial animal productions; toxicology - animal study; Toxins; Vertebrates; Bulgaria; Europe, Balkans; Denmark; Ochratoxin; Poultry; mycotoxins; Mycotoxin; HPLC chromatography; high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC); toxicology ― animal study; Fungi; Toxicology; Meat animals; Aves; Fumonisin; Ungulata; Feed; animal feed; mycotoxins ― ochratoxin A; Farming animal; screening assays; Pig; Toxin; Screening; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Analysis method; fumonisins; mycotoxins - fungi; Chicken; Artiodactyla; mycology
• ISSN: 1944-0049; 1944-0057; 1944-0057
• DOI: 10.1080/02652030903207227

Spontaneous nephropathy in Bulgaria, which is observed frequently during meat inspection and which differs morphologically from the classical description of mycotoxic porcine/chicken nephropathy as made in Denmark, was found to have a multi-mycotoxic aetiology being mainly provoked by a combined effect of ochratoxin A, penicillic acid and fumonisin B1 in addition to a not-yet-known metabolite. Mean contamination levels of ochratoxin A were consecutively low (188.8 and 376.4 µg kg −1 ) in contrast to high contamination levels of fumonisin B1 (5564.1 and 3254.5 µg kg −1 ) and penicillic acid (838.6 and 904.9 µg kg −1 ) for 2006 and 2007, respectively. Some other mycotoxins with lower importance such as citrinin, penitrem A, etc., may also influence clinicopathological picture of this nephropathy. A heavy contamination with Gibberella fujikuroi var. moniliformis (Fusarium verticillioides) and Penicillium aurantiogriseum complex (mainly Penicillium polonicum) was observed in almost all examined feed samples coming from pig and chick farms with nephropathy problems from Bulgaria. In contrast, low contamination with Aspergillus ochraceus, Penicillium verrucosum and Penicillium citrinum was observed in the same feed samples and these species were isolated as very rare components of the mycobiota.