ZEA exposure can result in thymus atrophy and alter spleen lymphocyte production as well as impaired lymphocyte immune response, which leads to patients being susceptible to disease.
It’s worth mentioning that, while zearalenone CAN permeate the skin if a person comes in physical contact with Fusarium graminearum spores (and therefore, having a colony of Fusarium graminearum mold growing inside your home can be dangerous), that’s generally NOT how humans become sick from zearalenone exposure. Instead, the real hazard lies with eating contaminated food.
When humans ingest corn, wheat, or another grain that is infested with zearalenone toxins, or they eat meat that came from a pig, cow, or chicken that consumed infested feed, the mycotoxins can enter our bodies. And when the toxins “set up shop” in our GI tracts or sinus cavities, the result can be chronic illness.
Zearalenone Health Effects
Zearalenone can cause illness in all different kinds of mammals, but it’s particularly devastating to swine. Pigs exposed to even small amounts of zearalenone can have their reproductive cycles altered, and in larger amounts, they might suffer from infertility, spontaneous abortions, atrophy of the sexual organs, and birth defects in their offspring. Poultry, cattle, and sheep can experience similar issues if they ingest large amounts of zearalenone.
Meanwhile, in humans, zearalenone contamination has been associated with precocious puberty in young girls. It may also increase an individual’s risk for developing ovarian, cervical, prostate, and/or breast cancer, as these diseases can all be linked to long-term hormonal imbalances in the body.
Treatments for Zearalenone
When it comes to mycotoxin infestations, it’s nearly always easier and safer to take precautions to avoid becoming sick in the first place than it is to treat an illness. Avoiding zearalenone can be tricky for the average person, as it typically enters the food supply long before consumers come in contact with it. Folks who work with “raw” grain–including farmers, millers, and handlers–should be vigilant in their efforts to avoid fusarium mold, as consuming or inhaling spores can lead to infections.
Unfortunately, there is currently NOT a standard, FDA-approved method for curing zearalenone-related sickness in humans. When an individual is diagnosed with this (or any other) mycotoxin related illness, their physician will come up with an individual treatment plan. Removing the source of the fusarium spores and/or avoiding future exposure is usually par the course, which is one of the reasons that early detection of zearalenone is so critical.
Zearalenone (ZEA) is a mycotoxin that is produced by the mold species Fusarium, and has been shown to be hepatotoxic, haematotoxic, immunotoxic, and genotoxic. ZEA is commonly found in several foods in the US, Europe, Asia, and Africa including wheat, barley, rice, and maize.
Zearalenone
