Mycotoxicosis in food producing animals.

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites of fungi. Diseases caused by mycotoxins are collectively referred to as mycotoxicosis. Disease is usually initiated after ingestion of feeds containing toxic doses of mycotoxins. Signs and symptoms vary and depend on the animal, the organ system involved, and on the dose and type of mycotoxins ingested. The symptoms can range from acute death, immunosuppression to skin lesions or to signs of hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, neurotoxicity, or genotoxicity. In addition to concerns over adverse effects of mycotoxins on food animals consuming mycotoxin-contaminated feeds, there is also a public health concern over the potential for human beings to consume animal-derived food products such as meat, milk, or eggs, containing residues of those mycotoxins or their metabolites.