Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Sohag University, Sohag, 82524, Egypt.
King Khalid University, College of Science, Department of Biology, Abha, P.O. Box 9004, Saudi Arabia.
Chemosphere. 2024 Sep;364:143248. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.143248. Epub 2024 Sep 2.
Microcystin (MC) toxin produced by cyanobacteria has become a significant concern for societies worldwide. The risk of MC in drinking water has been assessed to human health. Nonetheless, its risk to animal health has not been thoroughly evaluated. This study investigated MCs in irrigation water and alfalfa plant from nearby farmlands. Both irrigation water and alfalfa shoots contained greater MC concentrations (1.8-17.4 μg L and 0.053-0.128 μg g) during summer than winter (2.4 μg L and 0.017 μg g). These MC concentrations showed a correlation with the predominance of cyanobacteria in the sites, triggering the potential risk of these microorganisms in irrigation waters. Accordingly, there would be a high risk (risk quotient, RQ > 1) during summer and a moderate risk (0.1<RQ < 1) during winter for cattle and sheep that drink polluted irrigation water or eat contaminated alfalfa plants. Therefore, the study suggests that cyanotoxins in forage plants and irrigation water sources should be regularly monitored to protect animals from consuming contaminated food and water.
微囊藻毒素（MC）是由蓝藻产生的一种毒素，已引起全球社会的高度关注。人们已经评估了饮用水中 MC 对人类健康的风险，但尚未对其对动物健康的风险进行全面评估。本研究调查了附近农田灌溉水中和紫花苜蓿中的 MC。夏季灌溉水和紫花苜蓿中的 MC 浓度（1.8-17.4μg/L 和 0.053-0.128μg/g）高于冬季（2.4μg/L 和 0.017μg/g）。这些 MC 浓度与水体中蓝藻的优势度呈正相关，这表明这些微生物可能会对灌溉水造成潜在风险。因此，夏季饮用受污染灌溉水或食用受污染紫花苜蓿的牛和羊存在高风险（风险商数，RQ>1），冬季则存在中度风险（0.1<RQ<1）。因此，本研究建议应定期监测饲料植物和灌溉水源中的蓝藻毒素，以保护动物免受污染食物和水的影响。
