An emergent challenge: mycotoxins, climatic change and human health

During the past 60 years, it has become clear that the world has to deal with mycotoxin exposure. Mycotoxins are a group of naturally occurring toxic chemical substances, produced mainly by filamentous fungi that can produce adverse health effects when consumed by humans and animals. It is known that mycotoxins have nephrotoxic, genotoxic, teratogenic, carcinogenic, and cytotoxic properties and, as a consequence, these toxins may cause liver carcinomas, renal dysfunctions, and also immunosuppressed states. Changes in temperature, precipitation, and atmospheric CO2 concentration are expected to carry along an increased risk of mycotoxin contamination mainly associated with cereal crops in the field, and might have an impact on the geographical distribution of certain cereals, mycotoxigenic fungi and their mycotoxins. The large impacts of global warming projected on crops worldwide will subsequently influence food security, by reducing yields and thus food availability, and food and feed safety. Despite prevention methods and strict regulations, mycotoxins are still present in the feed and food chain, and could produce mycotoxicoses. Mycotoxicosis can occur at every stages of life, and it can affect the individuals differently according to their age. The harmful effects of mycotoxins on cell division can lead to drastic consequences, which are even more severe during intrauterine life. Within this context, a recent ongoing project on early-life exposure to mycotoxins and its impact on health, EarlyMYCO (PTDC/MED-TOX/28762/2017), will be presented and discussed, as a contribute to evaluate mycotoxins exposure of pregnant women and child and associated risks, during first 1000 days of life.

This Project is funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PTDC/MEDTOX/28762/2017) and FCT/MEC - FEDER, within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement and Compete 2020 through CESAM (UIDP/50017/2020+UIDB/50017/2020)

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