are mycotoxins a challenge for ruminants?

Published: 2020-07-20

The cow can cope – or can it?
Most people working with cattle agree that ruminants are capable of neutralising many occurrences of mycotoxins. But often there is a price to pay:

When the cow neutralises toxins, it costs energy that could otherwise have been used to produce milk. The immune system is overloaded, and the cow reacts with a high cell count. The overload increases in line with using feed with a high mycotoxin content over several months.

The recommendation is therefore to be extra aware of the need to use a low dose toxin binder as an insurance against the worst toxin occurrences.

If you suspect that your cattle is exposed to mycotoxins, learn more in this video on what to look out for when our cattle nutritionist explains the burden on the cow when exposed to mycotoxins in the feed.

Mycotoxins cause problems

Mycotoxins in the feed affect the herd in several ways:

Long-term effect:
When feeding with even a low content of mycotoxins over an extended period (several months), a build-up occurs in the body. The defence mechanism of the cow becomes overloaded.

Synergy effect:
The occurrence of 2 or more mycotoxins means that they amplify each other with a synergistic effect (2+2 = 10)

Masked mycotoxins:
Plants protect themselves against mould attack by ‘masking’ the mycotoxin, often in a sugar compound. That prevents detecting the mycotoxin by traditional analysis. The mycotoxin is released in the cow’s digestive system, making it freely accessible in the body where it can cause chaos.

To the left: The cow digests contaminated feed containing masked mycotoxins
To the right: Sugar breaks down in the gastrointestinal tract: Harmful mycotoxins are released, which can harm the cow
Source: Biomin

If you suspect that your cattle is exposed to mycotoxins, here are the symptoms to look out for:

Decline in feed uptake
Declining milk production
Reproduction problems
Unhealthy cattle with dull coat
Sporadic – non-specific deaths
High and fluctuating cell counts
Digestive problems – displaced abomasum – mid-lactation milk fever – laminitis

Get to know more on the product X-Bond Rumen?

X-Bond Rumen is an innovative toxin binder developed by Vilomix that counter the effects from mycotoxins.

ARE MYCOTOXINS A CHALLENGE FOR RUMINANTS?

Listen to the interview with John Snede, cattle nutritionist in Vilomix, where he passes on his experiences with how cattle can become challenged when suffering from contamination of the feed by mycotoxins.