Ochratoxin A (OTA), a renal toxin, is produced majorly by Aspergillus and Penicillium fungal species. Ochratoxin A has been found in barley, oats, rye, wheat, coffee beans, and other plant products, with barley having a particularly high likelihood of contamination. It is also frequently found in pork intended for human consumption.
OTA is absorbed in the small intestine and distributed via the blood, to mainly the kidneys, where higher concentrations are found.
OTA toxicity is linked to renal conditions such as Balkan endemic nephropathy and chronic interstitial nephrophathy. It is also a potential urothelial carcinogen via oxidative stress and direct genotoxic mechanisms. It has been theorized that increases in carcinogenicity and genotoxicity occur during co-exposure with citrinin (CIT), fumonisin (FB). OTA has a long elimination half-life and is linked to intestinal barrier disruption and stimulation of inflammatory cytokines.
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What does it mean if your Ochratoxin A (OTA) result is too high?
OTA is a mycotoxin produced by species of Eurotium, Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium. It is found in many food crops, including cereals, coffee, cocoa and dried vine fruits.
OTA is mutagenic, carcinogenic, teratogenic and immunosuppressive in a variety of animal species. It has been implicated in the etiology of BEN and urinary tract tumors in humans.
It is a mitochondrial poison causing mitochondrial damage, oxidative burst, lipid peroxidation and interferes with oxidative phosphorylation. In addition, OTA increases apoptosis in several cell types.
The UK’s Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives has set a provisional tolerable dietary intake (TDI) of 0.2 mg/kg body weight per week.
OTA has been found in human and cow milk samples in European countries (Ochratoxin A, 2002).
In Norway, the concentrations found in human and cow milk were sufficient to suggest that the TDI of 5 ng/kg body/day would be exceeded in small children who consume large quantities of milk (Skaug et al, 1990, 1999, 2001).
Airborne exposure to OTA can occur, adding to the daily intake of the mycotoxin via the respiratory tract. Thus, OTA has been demonstrated in dust and fungal conidia in samples taken from cow sheds.
Furthermore, OTA was detected in dust samples from the heating ducts of a house where animals showed signs of ochratoxicosis (Skaug et al, 2000; Richard, 1999).
Finally, Ochratoxin A has been found in bulk samples of a water-damaged home. In addition, the occupants and the household dog had Ochratoxin A in urine and nasal secretions (Thrasher, et al, 2010).
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