[Survey of storage wheat contamination to zearalenone producer Fusarium species in East Azarbaidgjan]

Contamination of storage wheat to zearalenone producer molds represents a significant hazard to consumer health and has thus received increasing attention from food safety authorities and legislators. Various species of Fusarium genus are producer of different mycotoxins including zearalenone at certain conditions. These mycotoxins can enter into the human food and animal feed chain and cause premature or early thelarche, gynecomastia, primary and secondary mycotoxicosis in humans and animals. In this survey, contamination of 162 randomly collected wheat samples to zearalenone producer Fusarium was investigated using direct microscopic examination and culturing samples in specific media. From studied 162 collected wheat samples, 160 [99%] samples had fungal contamination. Aspergillus niger, Penicillium Sp, other species of Asergillus [A. Fumigatus, A. Flavous, A. Niveus, A. cchraceus,..] Fusarium Sp, Alternaria Sp, Cladesporium Sp, Gliocladium Sp. and Trichotecium Sp. were the most frequently detected microorganisms respectively. The presence of moulds sue as Aspergillus Sp, Penicillium Sp, Fusarium Sp, Alternaria Sp, Cladesporium Sp, Gliocladium Sp, and Trichotecium Sp. in consumer wheat samples can lead to the presence of harmful mycotoxins and then could result in serious toxicity and illness in humans. As the fungal contamination has a strong influence on the ultimate quality of wheat, wheat end products and food safety, more attention to the quality and safety of wheat and wheat stored places are necessary

Alimentação de leitoas pré-púberes com dietas contendo zearalenona / Feeding of pre-pubertal gilts with diets containing zearalenone

O desempenho, o peso de alguns órgãos e a morfologia vulvar de leitoas pré-púberes, alimentadas por 28 dias com dietas contendo zearalenona, foram avaliados. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi inteiramente ao acaso, com dois tratamentos, dieta controle (DC) e dieta controle + 2mg kg-1 de zearalenona (DZ), e seis repetições cada. Não houve diferença (P>0,05) entre os tratamentos para consumo médio diário de ração (1,24 x 1,19kg), ganho médio diário de peso (0,68 x 0,71kg), conversão alimentar (1,86 x 1,71) e peso vivo (PV); (30,9 x 30,4kg). A zearalenona não alterou (P>0,05) os pesos absoluto e relativo do coração (137 x 141g e 0,45 x 0,45 por cento PV), fígado (699 x 699g e 2,31 x 2,26 por centoPV), rins (47 x 49g e 0,15 x 0,16 por centoPV) e baço (166 x 171g e 0,55 x 0,55 por centoPV). Houve aumento (P<0,05) no comprimento (17 x 27cm) e no peso (23 x 157g e 0,07 x 0,51 por centoPV) do trato reprodutivo das leitoas do grupo DZ. O volume vulvar ao final do período foi 820 por cento maior (P<0,05) nos animais alimentados com zearalenona (941 x 8658mm³/kgPV0,6). Os resultados indicam que em suínos a zearalenona e seus metabólitos possuem atividade estrogênica, mas não interferem no desempenho dos animais.

The performance, the weights of some organs, and the vulvae morphology in pre-pubertal gilts fed diets containing zearalenone were evaluated during 28 days. The experimental design was completely randomized with two treatments (control diet, ZD - control diet + 2mg kg-1 of zearalenone) and six replications of each were done. No differences (P>0.05) between treatments for daily feed intake (1.24 x 1.19kg), average daily gain (0.68 x 0.71kg), feed conversion ratio (1.86 x 1.71), and live weight (30.9 x 30.4kg) were observed. Zearalenone did not change (P>0.05) the absolute and relative weights of heart (137 x 141g and 0.45 x 0.45 percentBW), liver (699 x 699g and 2.31 x 2.26 percentBW), kidneys (47 x 49g and 0.15 x 0.16 percentBW), and spleen (166 x 171g and 0.55 x 0.55 percent BW). However, zearalenone increased (P<0.05) the length (17 x 27cm) and weight (23 x 157g and 0.07 x 0.51 percentBW) of the reproductive tract. The final vulvae volume was 820 percent larger (P<0.05) in gilts fed diets containing zearalenone than those fed control diet (941 x 8658mm³/kgBW0.6). Results suggested that zearalenone and its metabolites have an estrogenic activity in pigs without changing the animal performance.

[ effect of estrogenic mycotoxins in fertility disorder]

Mycotoxins are naturally secondary metabolites of filamentous fungi, more specifically molds, that have adverse effects on biological organisms. A class of mycotoxins with estrogenic activity is Estrogenic mycotoxins [mycoestrogens] that produced by Fusarium fungi. The only class of mycoestrogens so far determined is the zearalenones [ZEAs]. Zearalenones are non-steroidal compounds belonged to beta-resorcylic acid lactones. ZEAs can bind estrogen receptors because they are able to adopt a conformation sufficiently resembling 17 beta-estradiol and other natural estrogens. For this reason, ZEAs have shown to cause alterations in the reproductive tract of laboratory and domestic animals, resulting in estrogenic syndrome. ZEAs have been observed to possess tumor-promoting activity in the human similar to that of estrogens and hypothetically can induce proliferation and carcinogenesis in estrogen dependent tissues such as endometrium and cervix. ZEAs were suspected to be the causative agent in some epidemics of precocious pubertal changes such as premature thelarche and gynecomastia in young children in some countries. Contamination of cereals especially corn with fusarium fungi, produces ZEAs. Therefore, routine laboratory determination of mycotoxins especially zearalenones are necessary to evaluate contamination rate of fungi toxins

Eficiência reprodutiva de porcas intoxicadas por zearalenona em diferentes idades / Reproductive performance of female pigs intoxicated by zearallenone in different ages

Fêmeas suínas foram intoxicadas com zearalenona durante a vida intreuterina, ao desmame (42 dias), ao 150§ dia de idade ou imediatamente após o desmame da primeira leitegada, para se avaliar o comprometimento causado pela zearalenona sobre o desempenho reprodutivo. A intoxicaçäo foi efetuada com raçäo contendo 5ppm de zearalenona, fornecida durante 30 dias. A micotoxina causou retardamento na puberdade e na idade à primeira cobriçäo fértil, nas fêmeas nascidas de porcas intoxicadas durante a gestaçäo. Diferenças de produtividade (P<0,10) entre os grupos, especialmente no número total de leitöes nascidos e no intervalo desmame-cio, foram observadas na primeira, mas näo na segunda leitegada, mostrando a recuperaçäo das fêmeas intoxicadas. Esta recuperaçäo, caracterizou-se pelo desaparecimento dos sintomas entre 3 e 10 dias após a retirada da dieta tóxica e pelo exame histológico do trato genital após o segundo parto, que comprovou ausência de sequelas. Conclui-se que a zearalenona retarda a puberdade de fêmeas intoxicadas durante a vida intrauterina, causa reduçäo do número total de leitöes nascidos e aumenta o intervalo desmama-cio na primeira leitegada, porém com retorno à produtividade normal na segunda leitegada após a intoxicaçäo