Mycotoxin Biomarkers: 5 Challenges in Going from Lab to Farm

Mycotoxins are well known to impair animal health and cause economic losses in livestock production. In the field, diagnosis of mycotoxin-induced disorders in animals is often challenging, as relevant feed lots are no longer available or feed analysis results are not conclusive. Driven by advances in analytical techniques, the application of mycotoxin biomarkers – assessing mycotoxin exposure directly in the animal by analyzing blood or other body fluids – is evolving at the farm level. Despite its potential, the on-field application of mycotoxin biomarkers still has major limitations. We discuss why it is currently tricky to interpret results and which aspects to keep an eye on.