Combined damage to feed by mycotoxins as a risk factor for development of multiple pathologies in animals

All over the world, food and animal feed are contaminated with mycotoxins, which significantly increase the risk of developing multiple pathologies in humans and animals. Microscopic fungi producing toxic metabolites are ubiquitous. High temperature and humidity of the environment contribute to their reproduction. The danger of combined damage to feed by mycotoxins is much greater since in combinations they exhibit greater toxicity due to the development of synergistic and potentiating effects. An analysis of the results of studies by authors from many countries shows that the following mycotoxins in various combinations predominate in animal feed: aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, zearalenone, deoxynivalenol and T-2 toxin. A study of combined mycotoxicoses in Europe and Asia showed that more than 50% of contaminated samples contained more than one mycotoxin, while in Asia the level of contamination of feed with mycotoxins is much higher. In Russia, when conducting mycotoxicological monitoring of feed, the presence of both individual mycotoxins and their various combinations is also noted. In the Krasnodar Territory, a high content of toxin T-2 and aflatoxin B1 was noted in the feed. In the Republic of Tatarstan, microscopic fungi of the genus Fusarium are widespread; their toxic metabolites are often detected in feed. In the study of various types of plant feed in the Amur Region, it was found that more than 90% of the samples were contaminated with microscopic fungi of the genus Aspergillus. In the Omsk Region, during the annual mycological monitoring in the period from 2017 to 2021, 2915 feed samples were examined, of which 1960 samples contained mycotoxins within the maximum allowable levels (MAL), and 74 samples exceeded the MAL. The largest number of samples exceeding the MAL was found among the samples contaminated with T-2 toxin and zearalenone. Keywords: toxins of microscopic fungi, combined damage, feed, multiple pathologies