Ochratoxin A in human serum samples collected in southern Italy from healthy individuals and individuals suffering from different kidney disorders.

Ochratoxin A was determined in human serum samples, collected in the south of Italy in November 1992, using ion-pair liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection. The samples were collected from healthy people (65 subjects) as well as from people with different kidney disorders. Five different kinds of kidney disorders were represented: transplanted subjects (13), chronic glomerulonephritis (8), renal calculus or cyst (6), chronic renal failure (13), and subjects treated by dialysis (28). The mean and median concentrations of ochratoxin A in the healthy group was 0.53 and 0.44 ng/ml serum, respectively. The highest mean concentration was found in the group of patients treated by dialysis, 1.4 ng/ml serum. A higher incidence of samples containing > 0.44 ng ochratoxin A/ml serum was found in the dialysis group, compared to the other groups. Comparing the mean concentrations by Student's t-test, a significant difference was found between the mean concentrations of the healthy group and of the group of patients treated by dialysis (P < 0.01). No other significant differences were found when comparing the groups two at a time.