Periodic Alteration in Urinary Zearalenone Excretion in a Dairy Cattle Herd

To study on the monthly variations of zearalenone (ZEN) concentration of dairy cattle reared in standard farm conditions (herd size=20 cows), randomly collected samples of urine (5–7 cows) and their total mixed ration (TMR) collected at monthly intervals were measured for ZEN concentration by ELISA. In addition, somatic cell count (SCC) of individual cow obtained from their monthly milking record was included for the analysis to illustrate its relationship, if any, with urinary ZEN concentration. A significant difference (P<0.05) was observed between the urinary ZEN concentrations of December and April, and December and July; however no significant correlation was observed with respect to ZEN concentration of TMR. Further, there no significant correlation was observed between the urinary ZEN concentration and the SCC. In conclusion, our results highlight not only the monthly (seasonally) variation existing under the standard dairy farming condition, but also the usefulness of urinary ZEN monitoring method as a tool to assess and evaluate the natural mycotoxin contamination in dairy farms.