Detection of mycotoxins in dry dog food. A risk for animal health in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia

The presence of mycotoxins represents a serious health risk as they are secondary fungal metabolites, which cause both acute and chronic diseases in humans and animals. Cereals, which are major components in dry pet food formulation, are particularly susceptible to mycotoxin contamination. This study aimed to investigate aflatoxin, fumonisin and zearalenone contamination in dry balanced dog foods, which will serve as a basis for estimating the risk of developing liver and kidney pathologies in canines in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. For this purpose, 45 samples of dry balanced dog food obtained from Municipal District 1 of the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, were analyzed. The results revealed that aflatoxins were the most frequent mycotoxin (67 %), fumonisin (47 %) and zearalenone (2 %). According to the place of purchase of the samples, markets showed a percentage of positive samples of 63 % aflatoxins, 26 % fumonisin and 5 % zearalenone. In contrast, shops 69, 62 and 0 % for the same mycotoxins, respectively. Bulk foods had the highest aflatoxin contamination (100 %), 53 % in closed bags and 47 % hand-packed. On the contrary, the foods with the highest fumonisin contamination were in closed bag (73 %), bulk (40 %) and handmade (27 %). In addition, 35% of the samples showed simultaneous contamination by aflatoxins and fumonisin, which underlines the importance of further investigating the potential risk of simultaneous exposure to these mycotoxins. These findings highlight the need to implement strict controls on raw material selection, handling and storage conditions, as well as to further investigate the impact of mycotoxins on pet health.