Occurrence of Ochratoxin A in the Wild Boar (Sus scrofa): Chemical and Histological Analysis

Giancarlo Bozzo,Elisabetta Bonerba,Elvira De Giglio,Giuseppina Tantillo,Angela Di Pinto,Edmondo Ceci

doi:10.3390/toxins4121440

Giancarlo Bozzo, Elisabetta Bonerba + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins4121440

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Abstract

Ochratoxins are fungal secondary metabolites that may contaminate a broad variety of foodstuffs, such as grains, vegetables, coffee, dried fruits, beer, wine and meats. Ochratoxins are nephrotoxins, carcinogens, teratogens and immunotoxins in rats and are also likely to be in humans. In 2009/2010, a survey of the presence of Ochratoxin A (OTA) in regularly hunted wild boars in the Calabria region of southern Italy detected OTA in 23 animals in the kidney, urinary bladder, liver and muscles: 1.1 ± 1.15, 0.6 ± 0.58, 0.5 ± 0.54 and 0.3 ± 0.26 μg/kg, respectively. Twelve tissue samples showed levels of OTA higher than the guideline level (1 μg/kg) established by the Italian Ministry of Health. In five wild boars, gross-microscopic lesions were described for the organs displaying the highest concentrations of OTA determined by HPLC-FLD analysis, i.e., the kidney, liver and urinary bladder.

Highlights

Ochratoxins are fungal secondary metabolites that contaminate grains, legumes, coffee, dried fruits, beer and wine, and meats [1]
ochratoxin A (OTA) has been suspected to be involved in the aetiology of Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN), a human disease characterized by progressive renal fibrosis and by tumors of the urinary tract [10,11,12,13], such as carcinoma of the renal pelvis, ureters and bladder [2,14]
Analytical methods using an immunoaffinity column and HPLC with fluorometric detection for the quantification of ochratoxin A in organs and tissues have been described by various authors [26,27]

Summary

Introduction

Ochratoxins are fungal secondary metabolites that contaminate grains, legumes, coffee, dried fruits, beer and wine, and meats [1]. Ochratoxins are produced by members of two fungal genera: the Aspergillus species, A. ochraceus, A. melleus, A. auricomus, A. ostianus, A. petrakii, A. sclerotiorum and A. sulfureus, all of which are classified in the section Circumdati ( called the A. ochraceus group); A. alliaceus and A. albertensis, formerly placed in the section. Was comprehensively reviewed by Krogh [8], and ochratoxin A (OTA) is regarded as the possible cause of this nephropathy [9]. OTA has been suspected to be involved in the aetiology of Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN), a human disease characterized by progressive renal fibrosis and by tumors of the urinary tract [10,11,12,13], such as carcinoma of the renal pelvis, ureters and bladder [2,14]

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