Mycotoxin Basics

Caroline Knoblock, MSc, - Director of Nutrition, Agrarian Solutions and Larry Roth, Ph.D., PAS - Vice President of Nutrition

Understanding the basics of how mycotoxins interact with the animal can help us understand how to react when a diet contains a high-risk concentration of mycotoxins.

Molds produce mycotoxins to weaken surrounding organisms and give the mold a better chance of survival. Mycotoxins are not seeking to specifically target animal tissues; they are simply made to help their parent mold survive. The animal has defenses to protect itself against mycotoxins in the small intestine. The intestinal lining acts as a castle wall to protect the rest of the body from harmful molecules. High mycotoxin concentrations can overwhelm the animal’s self-defense mechanisms and cause cell death and a breakdown of tight junctions between cells. The loss of intestinal integrity causes leaky gut and enables mycotoxins and other pathogens to enter the body. It is important that products that defend and protect against mycotoxins help the castle wall – the animal’s intestinal lining – stay strong so the animal can defend themselves from mycotoxins.

Ruminal bacteria and protozoa have some capacity to breakdown mycotoxins and render them non-toxic. High concentrations of mycotoxins can overwhelm this ability because mycotoxins are made by molds to harm bacteria and protozoa. The mycotoxins can potentially reduce the beneficial bacteria in the rumen microbiome; thereby resulting in the inconsistent manure and reduced milk components often observed during a mycotoxin challenge. The ruminal environment impacts the ability to breakdown mycotoxins; for example, low ruminal pH conditions, such as associated with high starch diets, often result in lowered mycotoxin breakdown rates. Mycotoxin protection products need to not only protect the animal’s intestinal lining, but also prevent mycotoxins from harming rumen bacteria.

Mycotoxins have been in the environment for thousands of years, and the animal has developed the ability to defend itself from these toxins. Problems begin to occur when the concentration of mycotoxins is too high for the animal’s natural defense mechanisms. DTX helps the cow to maintain her intestinal castle wall defenses against mycotoxins. DTX may also help protect the rumen from mycotoxins and keep the rumen bacteria healthy and digesting feed like she was made to do.