Equine Mycotoxins.

The main mycotoxins involved in adverse equine health issues are aflatoxins, fumonisins, trichothecenes, and probably ergovaline (fescue grass endophyte toxicosis). Most exposures are through contaminated grains and grain byproducts, although grasses and hays can contain mycotoxins. Clinical signs are often nonspecific and include feed refusal, colic, diarrhea, and liver damage but can be dramatic with neurologic signs associated with equine leukoencephalomalacia and tremorgens.

Extensive Evaluation via Blinded Testing of an UHPLC-MS/MS Method for Quantitation of Ten Ergot Alkaloids in Rye and Wheat Grains.

Background: Ergot alkaloids are mycotoxins produced by the fungus Claviceps, which can contaminate grains and pose a health risk to humans and animals. Validation of an ergot alkaloid method in collaborative projects can be challenging due to instability of analytes, a lack of reliable reference materials, and a fully validated reference method.

Objective: To extensively evaluate performance of a quantitative UHPLC-MS/MS method to detect ten ergot alkaloids at concentrations between 16 and 500 ng/g in grains.

Ruminant Mycotoxicosis: An Update.

This review focuses on factors associated with mold production in feedstuffs and major mycotoxins affecting ruminants in North America. Ruminants are often considered less sensitive to mycotoxins owing to rumen microflora metabolism to less toxic compounds. However, ruminants occupy wide agricultural niches that expose animals to diverse toxins under widely different environmental and nutritional conditions.

Multiple episodes of 1080 (sodium monofluoroacetate) intoxication in a California calf-raising operation.

Over a 1-y period, a California calf-raising operation experienced 4 separate episodes of sudden death in 4-6-mo-old steers. Each episode occurred in 1-3 contiguous pens on 1 of 3 properties owned by the operation, but eventually all 3 properties were involved. In each episode, animals appeared normal at the evening feeding but at the subsequent morning feeding were found dead or dying.

Ruminant mycotoxicosis.

Ruminants have the capacity to utilize some mycotoxin contaminated feedstuffs without impact on production or carry-over tissue residues. Despite large investments in crop development to diminish mold invasion and mycotoxin production, grain facilities to dry and store cereals, and use of alternative processing, mycotoxins frequently occur at elevated concentrations that affect ruminants. Fungal invasion by molds can occur in stored forages, silages, and wet bales and toxicity of these mold related mycotoxins is often poorly characterized.

Ethylene glycol toxicosis in adult beef cattle fed contaminated feeds.

Acute deaths of cows held in a drylot and fed several crop processing plant by-products were investigated. Clinical signs in affected cows included diarrhea, ataxia, recumbency, hypersalivation, and sunken eyes. A histological diagnosis of ethylene glycol toxicosis, based on numerous birefringent crystals in renal tubules, was supported by toxicologic findings.