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More than 110 delegates from the Belgian and Dutch feed, consulting and veterinarian sectors attended this scientific meeting. The one-day meeting opened with a presentation by Hetty van Beers from the Netherlands Veterinary Medicines Authority, who spoke about the importance of further reducing the use of antibiotics in animal husbandry in the Netherlands. She emphasized that further measures like mycotoxin risk management are necessary to achieve the ambitious aims set by the Dutch government until 2016.
Alfons Jansman from Wageningen UR Livestock Research gave a very comprehensive overview on the definition of gut health. This was followed by Siska Croubles from Ghent University, who discussed the impact of mycotoxins on gut health in detail. Prof. Croubles mentioned very clearly that more research is needed to study the impact of mycotoxins below recommended threshold levels on different species. What could be concluded from the ongoing research at the University of Ghent is that mycotoxin levels below EU-recommendations have a negative impact on animal health and gut integrity.
Gerd Schatzmayr, BIOMIN group R&D director, highlighted in his speech the three-strategy approach (adsorption, deactivation and bio-protection) that offers a 360° view on mycotoxin risk management. He mentioned that the registration of Mycofix® Secure and Biomin® BBSH 797 within the EU was a milestone for BIOMIN and its R&D department, which honors the work of over 25 years conducted in this field.
Dr. Schatzmayr also gave an overview on multi-toxin analysis which makes it possible to analyze feed samples for more than 380 toxins by LC-MS-MS. The findings of this method have shown multiple contamination scenarios in most cases. But for many of these toxins, scientific information and knowledge on the impact they have of farm animals is missing. Nevertheless, when synergistic and additive effects are considered, even low levels of mycotoxins can lead to unexpected strong effects in animals, Dr. Schatzmayr stated.
Gunther Antonissen, a researcher at Ghent University, summarized the impact of different mycotoxins on coccidiosis and bacterial diseases. His conclusion, coming from his own research, was that mycotoxins have a clear indirect influence on animals’ health by enhancing the infectious diseases that lead to a negative economic impact.
Luca Vandi, BIOMIN poultry specialist, and Andre van Lankveld, BIOMIN pig specialist, approached the topic of mycotoxins from a more practical angle. Showing the effect of mycotoxins on monogastric animals, they led the discussion on how practical solutions to counteract mycotoxins could be applied in animal nutrition.
Andre van Lankveld viewed swine not only as the species most susceptible to mycotoxins, but also considers endotoxins responsible for numerous health problems in pigs such as edema, hemorrhages and in piglets, diarrhea. He pointed out that BIOMIN is conducting extensive research in this area to provide greater insight into how these harmful substances can be counteracted.
Luca Vandi pointed out that mycotoxin-related problems should be considered in the light of the “iceberg-model”. Clinical symptoms such as necrosis or lesions are the few visible problems while many sub-clinical conditions (e.g. immune suppression, impaired feed intake) remain unidentified. “Differential diagnosis can be used as an important tool to differentiate between the impact of mycotoxins and other trigger factors,” said Luca Vandi.
The conclusion from this well-received seminar was that the industry needs to change its view on gut health and mycotoxins. A multi-approach including mycotoxin risk management is necessary to fulfill the needs of modern animal husbandry and consumer likewise.
February 21, 2014 - Biomin
