Abstract

We often think of mycotoxin’s effect on the animal at dosages that would affect performance and cause visual lesions (e.g. oral and dermal lesions from T-2 toxin or fatty liver from aflatoxin). However, recent literature and work from our lab has implicated physiological and immunological effects at lower and more common levels of contamination that ultimately affects gastro-intestinal tract (GIT) functionality. These effects range from aflatoxin (AFLA) impacting endogenous nutrient loss from the intestinal tract, deoxynivalenol (DON) triggering tight junction protein degradation, and fumonisin (FUM) increasing coccidial lesion severity (in broiler chicks) and prolonged recovery due to alterations to regulation of inflammatory processes. Thus, this talk will address our historical to present knowledge of these three mycotoxins effects on the GIT.

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