title: Co-occurrence of ochratoxin A and citrinin in cereals from Bulgarian villages with a history of Balkan endemic nephropathy.
abstract: Cereal samples were collected in 1998 from Bulgarian villages without [control village (C), n = 20] or with [endemic villages (E); E1, n = 21; E2, n = 30; E3, n = 23] a history of Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN). Sampling included foods (wheat, corn) and feeds (barley, oats, wheat bran). Analysis of ochratoxin A and citrinin was done by enzyme immunoassays (EIA), with detection limits of 0.5 and 5 ng/g, respectively. Ochratoxin A-positive results were confirmed by HPLC after immunoaffinity chromatography. Highest toxin levels were found in wheat, wheat bran, and oats. For ochratoxin A, the percentages of positives were 35% (C), 29% (E1), 30% (E2), and 47% (E3), the mean/median values of positives were 1.5/1.3 ng/g (C), 11/1.6 ng/g (E1), 18/1.6 ng/g (E2), and 3.5/1.5 ng/g (E3). For citrinin, 5.0% (C), 14% (E1), 3.3% (E2), and 13% (E3) were positive, and the mean/median values were 6.1/6.1 ng/g (C), 180/83 ng/g (E1), 10/10 ng/g (E2), and 84/20 ng/g (E3). Highest concentrations of ochratoxin (maximum = 140 ng/g) and citrinin (maximum = 420 ng/g) were found in samples from endemic villages. Co-contamination with ochratoxin A and citrinin was found for one sample (14% of positives) from village C and for six samples (22% of positives) from villages E1-E3. Citrinin levels in these samples were 2-200 times higher than those of ochratoxin A.
authors.affiliation: Mycotoxicological Laboratory, National Center for Hygiene, Medical Ecology and Nutrition, Sofia, Bulgaria.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vrabcheva
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Usleber
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dietrich
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Märtlbauer
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D001449:Balkan Nephropathy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002031:Bulgaria / Q000453:epidemiology; D002953:Citrinin / Q000032:analysis*; D002523:Edible Grain / Q000737:chemistry*; D005506:Food Contamination; D006801:Humans; D009183:Mycotoxins / Q000032:analysis*; D009793:Ochratoxins / Q000032:analysis*; D012424:Rural Population; D014908:Triticum / Q000737:chemistry; D003313:Zea mays / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D009183:Mycotoxins; D009793:Ochratoxins; C025589:ochratoxin A; D002953:Citrinin