Mycotoxicoses

diseases of animals caused by poisonous substances that have accumulated in fodders infested with toxic fungi. Mycotoxicoses appear suddenly and affect large numbers of animals; the diseases are not contagious and cease with a change of feed. The diseases may arise in the autumn or spring when the animals pasture on unharvested overwintered grasses and frozen vegetation. Stabled animals may be affected by my cotoxicoses if they are fed vegetable feeds that have been stored in humid places.

The severity and clinical manifestations of mycotoxicoses depend on the amount of toxin that has entered the body, the duration of its intake, and the species and age characteristics of the macroorganism. Mycotoxicoses that have been studied have been separated as independent nosologic units and are named according to the genus of the fungus that causes the intoxication.