Evaluation of the pathology and food poisoning of fish with mycotoxins

The growth and development of the aquaculture industry in recent decades has also led to the development of the aquatic feed industry. High-quality animal protein, lipids and other nutrients are essential for intensive aquaculture. Fish meal is used as an essential ingredient in fish nutrition that will not be available in sufficient quantities in the future. Increasing fishing pressure has reduced marine fish stocks; Therefore, reducing the dependence of aquaculture on marine resources in order to develop the sustainability of this industry in the future is essential. Therefore, using plant protein sources such as cereals and legumes in aquatic feed can be effective in achievng this goal. However, plant foods can provide a natural and suitable substrate for the growth of fungi. Crops may be infected with the fungus during harvest or storage. Under adverse environmental conditions, at temperatures above 27 ° C and more than 60% humidity and lack of proper ventilation, fungi grow rapidly and can endanger aquatic health by producing mycotoxins. In addition, the accumulation of mycotoxins in the edible tissue of fish can be dangerous to consumers' health. Therefore, it is necessary to know the different types of mycotoxins and understand how they are transferred from food to farmed aquatic animals and ultimately to human consumers. Aflatoxins, sterigmatocystin, ochratoxin, trichotoxins, zearalenone, and fumonisins are the most important known mycotoxins in aquatic feed. These toxins can cause many pathological damages to aquatic animals, such as reduced growth performance, changes in haematological parameters, histological damages, biochemical parameters, oxidative stress and genetic damages. Therefore, in this article, we introduce these compounds and show their effects on aquatic health.