“Research has implicated physiological and immunological effects at lower and more common levels of contamination that ultimately affects gastrointestinal tract functionality,” according to Prof. Todd Applegate of the University of Georgia. “These effects range from aflatoxins impacting endogenous nutrient loss from the intestinal tract, to deoxynivalenol triggering tight junction protein degradation, and to fumonisins increasing coccidial lesion severity in broiler chicks and prolonged recovery due to alterations to regulation of inflammatory processes,” he explained.
Leading Mycotoxin Experts Map the Current, Future Scientific Landscape
GLOBAL - While several highly publicized incidents related to mycotoxins in food and feed have attracted worldwide media attention in recent years, including the 2013 aflatoxin contamination in Europe, new findings suggest that mycotoxins have a significant impact on livestock production in less headline-grabbing ways, such as impairing gut health.
