Theme 1: Grassland Ecology
Description
. A global network of service laboratories exists to test livestock feed materials (typically grass hay and pellets) for ergovaline, ergot alkaloids and lolitrem B to ensure ‘safe feeds’ are being given to livestock. These compounds are mycotoxins produced by endophytic fungi that naturally reside in feed material. They have been purposely bred into grass species, as they enhance the plant’s survival from drought and insect predation. Unfortunately, ergovaline and other ergot alkaloids also cause vasoconstrictive effects and reproductive difficulties in livestock, resulting in a $1 million annual loss in production for the cattle industry in the USA alone. Lolitrem B is a neurotoxicant that causes a syndrome known as ‘ryegrass staggers,’ which involves a tremoring response in the animal. Clients of these service laboratories include hay farmers who want to be confident that the product they are selling is safe to feed to livestock; veterinarians who are trying to rule out causes of disease in clinical cases; individuals wanting to check personal feed sources; and researchers investigating innovative solutions to these feed contaminants. Each year, approximately 33,000 containers of hay are shipped overseas from the USA, including Pacific Rim and Middle Eastern countries, bringing in an estimated $130 million annually. If the importing country requires it, the material in these containers must be tested for the appropriate mycotoxin(s) and have a certificate stating that the level found was below the established threshold of toxicity. Discussion of sample submission, analysis and result receipt will be compared amongst international laboratories known to perform analyses for these mycotoxins.
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Detection of Endophyte Mycotoxins by Service Laboratories: Providing Answers for Safe Feed
. A global network of service laboratories exists to test livestock feed materials (typically grass hay and pellets) for ergovaline, ergot alkaloids and lolitrem B to ensure ‘safe feeds’ are being given to livestock. These compounds are mycotoxins produced by endophytic fungi that naturally reside in feed material. They have been purposely bred into grass species, as they enhance the plant’s survival from drought and insect predation. Unfortunately, ergovaline and other ergot alkaloids also cause vasoconstrictive effects and reproductive difficulties in livestock, resulting in a $1 million annual loss in production for the cattle industry in the USA alone. Lolitrem B is a neurotoxicant that causes a syndrome known as ‘ryegrass staggers,’ which involves a tremoring response in the animal. Clients of these service laboratories include hay farmers who want to be confident that the product they are selling is safe to feed to livestock; veterinarians who are trying to rule out causes of disease in clinical cases; individuals wanting to check personal feed sources; and researchers investigating innovative solutions to these feed contaminants. Each year, approximately 33,000 containers of hay are shipped overseas from the USA, including Pacific Rim and Middle Eastern countries, bringing in an estimated $130 million annually. If the importing country requires it, the material in these containers must be tested for the appropriate mycotoxin(s) and have a certificate stating that the level found was below the established threshold of toxicity. Discussion of sample submission, analysis and result receipt will be compared amongst international laboratories known to perform analyses for these mycotoxins.
