Survey of Aflatoxin Concentrations in Wild Bird Seed Purchased in Texas

Abstract

The use of backyard feeders to attract avian wildlife is a common practice throughout the United States. However, feeding wildlife may create a problem due to aflatoxin, a harmful fungal metabolite, which can affect wildlife that are fed contaminated grain. Our study was initiated to determine if songbirds were being exposed to aflatoxin-contaminated feed throughout Texas. Bags of wild bird seed (n ϭ 142) were purchased from grain cooperatives, grocery stores, and pet shops located in the panhandle, central, south, east, and west regions of Texas during spring and summer 1999. Aflatoxin concentrations in bird seed ranged from non-detectable to 2,780 g/kg. Overall, 17% of samples had aflatoxin concentrations greater than 100 g/kg, of which 83% contained corn as an ingredient. Retail establishment effects were noted in the southern and western regions of Texas, with average concentrations of aflatoxin greater from bags of bird seed purchased from grain cooperatives, followed by pet shops, then grocery stores. Regional differences in aflatoxin levels were not apparent from bags of seed purchased at pet shops; however, regional differences were noted in aflatoxin levels from seeds obtained at grocery stores and grain cooperatives. Average aflatoxin concentration from seed purchased at grocery stores was greatest in the panhandle region, followed by the remaining regions. Within grain cooperatives, the panhandle, south, and west regions of Texas exhibited higher levels of aflatoxin-contaminated bird seed than cooperatives within the east and central regions of Texas. Granivorous songbirds in Texas are exposed to aflatoxins at backyard feeders, which may be a significant morbidity and mortality factor.

Mycobiota and aflatoxins in raw materials and pet food in Brazil

“…In contrast, Sharma and Marquez (2001) found 88% contaminated pet food with high AFs levels, some of them with 59 and 72 ng/g levels. Wild bird feed was found to be the most contaminated among different types of pet foods in several surveys, possibly because of the use of cereals and oil seeds as raw materials in the manufacture (Scudamore et al., 1997; Henke et al., 2001; Maia and Pereira Bastos de Sequeira, 2002).…”

Examination of commercially available bird feed for weed seed contaminants

“…Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in 2016 reported that 56.8 million homeowners own a bird feeder as an attractant for avian wildlife (U.S. Department of the Interior et al 2016). Henke et al (2001) estimated that 289 million kg of bird feed were distributed across the United States in 1999. However, this number is likely even higher today, as the number of people that feed birds around their homes has increased by 8.8 million in the most recent USFWS survey (U.S. Department of the Interior et al 2016).…”

Use of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to screen for aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, and deoxynivalenol in dry pet foods

“…In another study, DON was detected in 97% of Austrian dry dog food samples tested by ELISA and 83% of a subset of samples confirmed with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) (Böhm et al 2010). Henke et al (2001) surveyed 142 bags of wild bird seeds purchased in Texas, USA, and found that 17% of samples contained AFs at levels > 100 ng/g. Despite the potential for mycotoxin contamination in pet foods sold on the U.S. commercial market, there is a lack of current research on this topic.…”

“…Globally, several mycotoxins have been detected in retail pet foods, including AFs, ochratoxin A (OTA), and DON (Abd-Elhakim et al 2016;Arnot et al 2012;Blajet-Kosicka et al 2014;Böhm et al 2010;Gazzotti et al 2015;Henke et al 2001;Pühringer et al 2007;Razzazi et al 2001;Sharma and Marquez 2001;Songsermsakul et al 2007). For instance, OTA was detected in dog and cat foods purchased in Austria and Poland, with the highest level of 13.1 ng/g in a dry dog food sample and other positive samples containing 0.21-3.2 ng/g (Razzazi et al 2001).…”