Microbial Toxins in Foods and Feeds: Cellular and Molecular Modes of Action

Although toxigenic fungi have been known since ancient times, modern mycotoxinology probably began with the early work of Joseph Forgacs and his colleagues in the 1950s. This science grew tremendously with the discovery of aflatoxins and aflatoxicoses in the early 1960s, particulorly following the finding of the carcinogenicity of aflatoxins in test animol species. The discovery and identification of new mycotoxins and mycotoxi­ coses, development of analytical procedures, attempted measurement of human and animal exposure, evaluation of toxicological effects, estimotiol' of risk due to human exposure, and development of regulatory control programs have been the major research goals over the past 30 years. In recent years there has also been an explosive growth in our knowledge of the metabolites produced by the algae, especially the dinoflagellate-produced toxins, and the transmission of such toxins up ~,e food chain to reef fish and shellfish. This knowledge has been invalualdl' in understanding and controlling human illness resulting from ingestion of seafood. We are now, for the first time, able to deal with such common seafood-related human diseases as paralytic, neurotoxic and amnesic shellfish and ciguatera poisoning.