Rizzo Maria, Licata Patrizia, Niutta Pietro Paolo, Pugliese Michela, Macaluso Vito, Costa Giovanna Lucrezia, Bruschetta Giuseppe, Bruno Fabio
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Via Palatucci Annunziata, 98168 Messina, Italy.
Independent Researcher, 90121 Palermo, Italy.
Toxins (Basel). 2025 Mar 2;17(3):120. doi: 10.3390/toxins17030120.
is a widely cultivated legume in Mediterranean regions, and it is used for human and animal consumption, as well as for medical purposes. High temperatures and abundant rainfall during the spring season in Sicily favor the formation of an environment suitable for the growth and proliferation of fungi with the production of mycotoxins. In this study, ochratoxin A, aflatoxin, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, fumonisin, and T-2 toxin concentrations in were determined in feed administered to ruminants and also in blood samples from cattle and sheep in order to evaluate the toxicity correlated to the possible presence of these mycotoxins based on the clinical signs observed in the animals. Analyses of mycotoxins in fenugreek and blood samples were conducted using the enzyme immunoassay KIT. Five extensive farms sited in the northwest of the Sicily region, with a total of 90 intoxicated animals, reported a concomitant unusual outbreak of neurological disorders. Decreased spinal reflex responses, postural abnormalities associated with weakness or recumbency, and hyperesthesia of the limbs suggested a problem regarding the peripheral nervous system. The mortality rate recorded was very high, even reaching 100% of the intoxicated animals. OTA intoxication in Sicilian ruminants represents an important warning on the vulnerability of farms to mycotoxin contamination and underlines the importance of preventive measures and monitoring in animal health management.
是地中海地区广泛种植的一种豆类，用于人类和动物食用以及医疗用途。西西里岛春季的高温和充沛降雨有利于形成适合真菌生长和繁殖并产生霉菌毒素的环境。在本研究中，测定了反刍动物饲料以及牛和羊血液样本中的赭曲霉毒素A、黄曲霉毒素、脱氧雪腐镰刀菌烯醇、玉米赤霉烯酮、伏马菌素和T-2毒素浓度，以便根据在动物身上观察到的临床症状评估与这些霉菌毒素可能存在相关的毒性。使用酶免疫分析试剂盒对胡芦巴和血液样本中的霉菌毒素进行分析。位于西西里岛地区西北部的五个大型农场，共有90头中毒动物，报告了同时发生的异常神经疾病暴发。脊髓反射反应减弱、与虚弱或卧地相关的姿势异常以及四肢感觉过敏提示存在周围神经系统问题。记录的死亡率非常高，甚至达到中毒动物的100%。西西里反刍动物的OTA中毒对农场易受霉菌毒素污染的情况发出了重要警示，并强调了动物健康管理中预防措施和监测的重要性。
