CHRONIC TOXICITY OF FUMONISINS FROM FUSARIUM-MONILIFORME CULTURE MATERIAL (M-1325) TO MINK

Adult female mink (Mustela vison) were fed a diet that contained Fusar ium moniliforme culture material that provided dietary concentrations of 89 ppm fumonisin B-1, 21 ppm fumonisin B-2, and 8 ppm fumonisin B-3 for 87 days. During the trial, there was mild lethargy in the mink fe d fumonisins, but no other clinical signs or differences in feed consu mption (measured during the first two weeks), body weights, or surviva bility were observed between the fumonisin-treated and control mink. S everal hematologic parameters (mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentrati on plasma total solids, and lymphocyte concentration) and serum chemic al concentrations (globulin, phosphorus, potassium, blood urea nitroge n, creatinine, bilirubin, and cholesterol) and activities (alkaline ph osphatase, alanine aminotransferase, amylase, and aspartate aminotrans ferase) were greater in the mink fed fumonisins than in the controls. Serum albumin/globulin and sodium/potassium ratios and chloride concen trations were lower in the fumonisin-fed mink than in the controls. Th e concentrations of free sphinganine and the ratio of free sphinganine to free sphingosine in the liver and kidneys of the fumonisin-treated mink were greater than in the control mink. No histopathologic altera tions were associated with fumonisin treatment. These results indicate that long-term dietary exposure to F. moniliforme culture material co ntaining 118 ppm total fumonisins is not lethal to adult mink, but can produce adverse physiological effects in the animals.