THE EFFECTS OF
MYCOTOXINS ON
SWINE HEALTH Francesc Accensi Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA) Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries (IRTA), Barcelona. Departament de Sanitat i d’Anatomia Animals, Facultat de Veterinària (UAB), Barcelona
M
ycotoxins are secondary metabolites, which means that they are non-essential for the survival of the organisms that produce them. They are produced by various fungal genera and species.
A mycotoxin can be produced by more than one genus or species (for example, Ochratoxin A can be produced by Aspergillus ochreaceus, A. niger or Penicillium verrucosum) and the same fungal strain can produce more than one toxin (for example, A. flavus can produce Aflatoxins and cyclopiazonic acid).
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