OCCURRENCE OF THE EQUINE LEUKOENCEPHALOMA LACIA (ELEM) CAUSED BY FUMONISIN-B-1 MYCOTOXIN IN HUNGARY

Equine leukoencephalomalacia (= ELEM) was first diagnosed in Hungary i n a horse stock consisted of 3 horses. A 13 years old castrated, a 6 y ears old stud and a 2 years old foal diseased by nervous symptoms in S eptember, 1995. The animals - in spite of the treatment applied - died after three to nine days. The disease started with lack of appetite, followed by the disturbance of swallowing and chewing indicating the p aralysis of cephalic and pharyngeal muscles. Paralysis of cephalic and cervical muscles spread to the muscles of extremities and trunk. The animals moved with difficulties, tottering and ataxia developed. Signs of ''blindness'' developed in one animal. At the final stage of the d isease, the affected animals lied down and died. The pathological exam ination of one animal revealed pulmonary oedema, Severe oedema was obs erved in the white substance of the brain during the histopathological investigation (Figure). Laboratory investigation directed to infectio us diseases and intoxication caused by pesticides were negative. The d isease was caused by green maize, the feeding of which started two to three weeks before the first clinical signs and it was fed during the whole course of the disease. High pressure liquid chromatographic inve stigation detected 18.5 mg/kg of feed fumonisin-B-1 contamination in t he green maize. referring to the whole plant. A survey carried out som e three years ago on the Eastern part of Hungary detected an approx. 7 0% fumonisin-B-1 contamination in the moulded, as well as damaged maiz e. Much higher fumonisin-B-1 and other fusarium toxin contaminations w ere detected in maize produced in 1995 than in the harvest of previous years. Fumonisin-B-1 contamination was higher than the toxic level (w hich is 5 mg/kg of feed according to the literature data, 15, 18) in 2 7% of moulded maize samples produced in Hungary in 1995 (5). In that, the intensive damage caused by the larvae of European corn borer playe d an important role ensuring favorable conditions for the growing of m oulds, among them for Fusarium moniliforme producing fumonisin-B-1 tox in. Occurrence of the disease, as well as the observations and investi gations made in connection with the present case call the attention th at it should be reckoned with the occurrence of fumonisin-toxicoses al so in Hungary.