scholarly journals Potential economic losses to the US corn industry from aflatoxin contamination

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 540-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole J. Mitchell ◽  
Erin Bowers ◽  
Charles Hurburgh ◽  
Felicia Wu
Keyword(s):  
Aflatoxin Contamination ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
The Us

scholarly journals Present Status and Perspective on the Future Use of Aflatoxin Biocontrol Products

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Moral ◽  
Maria Teresa Garcia-Lopez ◽  
Boris X. Camiletti ◽  
Ramon Jaime ◽  
Themis J. Michailides ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aflatoxin Contamination ◽  
Review Article ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Future Perspectives ◽  
Important Food ◽  
Active Ingredients ◽  
Practical Strategy ◽  
The Us ◽  
Food And Feed ◽  
Agricultural Industries

Aflatoxin contamination of important food and feed crops occurs frequently in warm tropical and subtropical regions. The contamination is caused mainly by Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus. Aflatoxin contamination negatively affects health and trade sectors and causes economic losses to agricultural industries. Many pre- and post-harvest technologies can limit aflatoxin contamination but may not always reduce aflatoxin concentrations below tolerance thresholds. However, the use of atoxigenic (non-toxin producing) isolates of A. flavus to competitively displace aflatoxin producers is a practical strategy that effectively limits aflatoxin contamination in crops from field to plate. Biocontrol products formulated with atoxigenic isolates as active ingredients have been registered for use in the US, several African nations, and one such product is in final stages of registration in Italy. Many other nations are seeking to develop biocontrol products to protect their crops. In this review article we present an overview of the biocontrol technology, explain the basis to select atoxigenic isolates as active ingredients, describe how formulations are developed and tested, and describe how a biocontrol product is used commercially. Future perspectives on formulations of aflatoxin biocontrol products, along with other important topics related to the aflatoxin biocontrol technology are also discussed.

Atrocity victimization and the costs of economic conflict crimes in the battle for Baghdad and Iraq

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 481-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Hagan ◽  
Joshua Kaiser ◽  
Daniel Rothenberg ◽  
Anna Hanson ◽  
Patricia Parker
Keyword(s):  
Political Violence ◽  
Political Conflict ◽  
Crimes Against Humanity ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Humanitarian Law ◽  
The Us ◽  
Economic Conflict ◽  
The City ◽  
Domestic Law ◽  
Invasion Of Iraq

Economic conflict crimes are defined in this paper as violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, as well as domestic law, associated with military and political conflict and producing significant monetary as well as other forms of suffering for civilians. Criminologists are well positioned by disciplinary emphasis to document and explain military and political violence resulting in economic conflict crimes. Criminal victimization associated with the US-led invasion of Iraq imposed an enormous toll on civilians. Yet there is little attention by criminologists or others to the profound economic costs to Iraqis, whether through lost property, life, or opportunities. We cautiously estimate that the economic losses for households in the city of Baghdad alone were almost US$100 billion, and more than three times this amount for the entire country, with Sunni groups experiencing significantly greater losses than others. So far as we know, our article presents the first estimates of civilian losses from economic conflict crimes that followed the US-led invasion of Iraq. These losses were widespread and systematic, the hallmarks of crimes against humanity.

scholarly journals Current status of porcine epidemic diarrhoea (PED) in European pigs

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 465-470
Author(s):  
Marta Antas ◽  
Grzegorz Woźniakowski
Keyword(s):  
Rna Virus ◽  
Acute Diarrhoea ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Porcine Epidemic Diarrhoea Virus ◽  
Diarrhoea Virus ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Suckling Piglets ◽  
Farming Industry

Abstract Porcine epidemic diarrhoea (PED) is a highly contagious and devastating enteric disease of pigs caused by porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDV), an enveloped, single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the Alphacoronavirus genus of the Coronaviridae family. The disease is clinically similar to other forms of porcine gastroenteritis. Pigs are the only known host of the disease, and the occurrence of PED in wild boars is unknown. The virus causes acute diarrhoea, vomiting, dehydration, and high mortality in suckling piglets reaching 100%. Heavy economic losses in the pig-farming industry were sustained in the USA between 2013 and 2015 when PEDV spread very quickly and resulted in epidemics. The loss in the US pig industry has been estimated at almost seven million pigs. The purpose of this review is a description of the current status of porcine epidemic diarrhoea in European pigs and the risk presented by the introduction of PEDV to Poland in comparison to the epidemics in the USA.

scholarly journals Risk of African swine fever virus introduction into the United States through smuggling of pork in air passenger luggage

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Jurado ◽  
Lina Mur ◽  
María Sol Pérez Aguirreburualde ◽  
Estefanía Cadenas-Fernández ◽  
Beatriz Martínez-López ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Western Europe ◽  
African Swine Fever Virus ◽  
African Swine Fever ◽  
The United States ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Swine Industry ◽  
Virus Surveillance ◽  
Global Epidemiology ◽  
The Us ◽  
Mean Risk

Abstract African swine fever causes substantial economic losses in the swine industry in affected countries. Traditionally confined to Africa with only occasional incursions into other regions, ASF began spreading into Caucasian countries and Eastern Europe in 2007, followed by Western Europe and Asia in 2018. Such a dramatic change in the global epidemiology of ASF has resulted in concerns that the disease may continue to spread into disease-free regions such as the US. In this study, we estimated the risk of introduction of ASF virus into the US through smuggling of pork in air passenger luggage. Results suggest that the mean risk of ASFV introduction into the US via this route has increased by 183.33% from the risk estimated before the disease had spread into Western Europe or Asia. Most of the risk (67.68%) was associated with flights originating from China and Hong Kong, followed by the Russian Federation (26.92%). Five US airports accounted for >90% of the risk. Results here will help to inform decisions related to the design of ASF virus surveillance strategies in the US.

scholarly journals The Impact of Bt Corn on Aflatoxin-Related Insurance Claims in the United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jina Yu ◽  
David A. Hennessy ◽  
Felicia Wu
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Inverse Correlation ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
The United States ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Aflatoxin Contamination ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Bt Corn ◽  
Insurance Claims ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Previous field studies have reached no collective consensus on whether Bt corn, one of the most commonly planted transgenic crops worldwide, has significantly lower aflatoxin levels than non-Bt isolines. Aflatoxin, a mycotoxin contaminating corn and other commodities, causes liver cancer in humans and can pose severe economic losses to farmers. We found that from 2001–2016, a significant inverse correlation existed between Bt corn planting and aflatoxin-related insurance claims in the United States, when controlling for temperature and drought. Estimated benefits of aflatoxin reduction resulting from Bt corn planting are about $120 million to $167 million per year over 16 states on average. These results suggest that Bt corn use is an important strategy in reducing aflatoxin risk, with corresponding economic benefits. If the same principles hold true in other world regions, then Bt corn hybrids adapted to diverse agronomic regions may have a role in reducing aflatoxin in areas prone to high aflatoxin contamination, and where corn is a dietary staple.

scholarly journals Rotavirus C: prevalence in suckling piglets and development of virus-like particles to assess the influence of maternal immunity on the disease development

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliet Chepngeno ◽  
Annika Diaz ◽  
Francine C. Paim ◽  
Linda J. Saif ◽  
Anastasia N. Vlasova
Keyword(s):  
Cell Culture ◽  
Diarrheal Disease ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Disease Development ◽  
Fecal Samples ◽  
Virus Like Particles ◽  
Maternal Immunity ◽  
The Us ◽  
Suckling Piglets ◽  
Major Impediment

Abstract Rotavirus C (RVC) has been detected increasingly in humans and swine in different countries, including the US. It is associated with significant economic losses due to diarrheal disease in nursing piglets. In this study we aimed: (1) to determine the prevalence of RVC in healthy and diarrheic suckling piglets on US farms; and (2) to evaluate if maternal antibody (Ab) levels were associated with protection of newborn suckling piglets against RVC. There was a significantly higher prevalence (p = 0.0002) of litters with diarrhea born to gilts compared with those born to multiparous sows. Of 113 nursing piglet fecal samples tested, 76.1% were RVC RNA positive. Fecal RVC RNA was detected in significantly (p = 0.0419) higher quantities and more frequently in piglets with diarrhea compared with healthy ones (82.5 vs. 69.9%). With the exception of the historic strain Cowden (G1 genotype), field RVC strains do not replicate in cell culture, which is a major impediment for studying RVC pathogenesis and immunity. To circumvent this, we generated RVC virus-like particles (VLPs) for Cowden (G1), RV0104 (G3) and RV0143 (G6) and used them as antigens in ELISA to detect swine RVC Abs in serum and milk from the sows. Using RVC-VLP Ab ELISA we demonstrated that sows with diarrheic litters had significantly lower RVC IgA and IgG Ab titers in milk compared to those with healthy litters. Thus, our data suggest that insufficient lactogenic protection provided by gilts plays a key role in the development of and the increased prevalence of clinical RVC disease.

scholarly journals Food safety and food imports in Europe: the risk of aflatoxins in pistachios

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Xiong
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
European Union ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
The United States ◽  
Aflatoxin Contamination ◽  
Income Effect ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Us ◽  
Food Imports

The United States has surpassed Iran as the largest pistachio exporter to the European Union. Both lower prices and a less frequency of aflatoxin contamination have contributed to the success of the US pistachio industry. Using EU monthly imports and food safety alerts data, we estimate EU demand for US and Iranian pistachios. We find that EU demand for US pistachios is price-inelastic but the demand for Iranian pistachios is price-elastic. We also find that the income effect is positive for US nuts but negative for Iranian nuts. Most importantly, we find that EU imports of US pistachios decrease with aflatoxin alerts traced back to the US but increase with contamination incidents originated from Iran.

A preliminary survey of mycological and fumonisin and aflatoxin contamination of African traditional herbal medicines sold in South Africa

2008 ◽  
Vol 27 (11) ◽  
pp. 793-798 ◽  
Author(s):  
DR Katerere ◽  
S Stockenström ◽  
KM Thembo ◽  
JP Rheeder ◽  
GS Shephard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Detection Limit ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
Aflatoxin Contamination ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Herbal Products ◽  
Mycotoxin Contamination ◽  
Toxigenic Fungi

Traditional medicine is an important aspect of healthcare delivery in South Africa and is used by at least 70% of the country’s population. The trade in medicinal plants is a multi-million rand business which is a major driver for rural economies. However, the conditions in which these plant products are transported and stored make them prone to fungal contamination which results in economic losses to the traders and pose potential health hazards to consumers. Of major concern is the possible presence of toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins. This study assessed fungal and mycotoxin contamination of African herbal products sold in Cape Town and Tshwane (formerly Pretoria) in South Africa. Of the 16 samples analyzed, 15 were contaminated with at least one of these three fungal genera: Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium. Fumonisin B1 was present in 13 of the samples in quantities ranging from 14 to 139 μg/kg (detection limit 5 μg/kg). None of the samples was contaminated with aflatoxigenic fungi or aflatoxin (detection limit 0.5 μg/kg). This is the first study to report on mycological and mycotoxin contamination of commercial traditional African medicines in South Africa. There is a need to expand the study to other urban centers to gain enough insight into this problem and then to intervene with measures that can protect the public from potential harm.

Global impacts of aflatoxin in maize: trade and human health

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Wu
Keyword(s):  
Animal Health ◽  
Aflatoxin Contamination ◽  
Economic Effects ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Subsistence Farming ◽  
Global Level ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Main Determinant ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Global Impacts

Maize is one of the most important agricultural commodities worldwide in terms of amounts produced, consumed, and traded. Hence, naturally occurring aflatoxin contamination in maize has important ramifications for both global trade and health. Aflatoxin is produced by certain species of the genus Aspergillus in a variety of food crops, including maize, peanuts, and tree nuts. Over 100 nations have aflatoxin regulations, which are intended to protect human and animal health, but also incur economic losses to nations that attempt to export maize and other aflatoxin-contaminated commodities. These economic effects must be balanced against the health protection afforded by the regulations. It is important to acknowledge that, even in nations that have aflatoxin regulations, many individuals consume maize that has undergone no regulatory inspection, especially in nations where subsistence farming is widespread. Hence, aflatoxin contamination, exposure, and lack of regulation can also contribute to adverse effects on trade and health worldwide. This review, part of a special issue on aflatoxin in maize, describes economic and health effects of aflatoxin in maize on a global level. It ends with a story of an intervention that reduced maize consumption in one population in China, which is likely the main determinant of the reduction in liver cancer mortality in that population over the last 30 years, from reduced aflatoxin exposure.

scholarly journals Investigation of superstorm Sandy 2012 in a multi-disciplinary approach

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 625-679 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Kunz ◽  
B. Mühr ◽  
T. Kunz-Plapp ◽  
J.E. Daniell ◽  
B. Khazai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Hurricane Katrina ◽  
The United States ◽  
Hurricane Sandy ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Weather System ◽  
Cascading Effects ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. At the end of October 2012, Hurricane Sandy moved from the Caribbean Sea into the Atlantic Ocean and entered the United States not far from New York. Along its track, Sandy caused more than 200 fatalities and severe losses in Jamaica, Bahamas, Haiti, Cuba, and the US. This paper demonstrates the capability and potential for near-real time analysis of catastrophes. It is shown that the impact of Sandy was driven by the superposition of different extremes (high wind speeds, storm surge, heavy precipitation) and by cascading effects. In particular the interaction between Sandy and an extra-tropical weather system created a huge storm that affected large areas in the US. It is examined how Sandy compares to historic hurricane events, both from a hydro-meteorological and impact perspective. The distribution of losses to different sectors of the economy is calculated with simple input-output models as well as government estimates. Direct economic losses are estimated about 4.2 billion US$ in the Caribbean and between 78 and 97 billion US$ for the US. Indirect economic losses from power outages is estimated in the order of 16.3 billion US$. Modelling sector-specific dependencies, quantifies total business interruption losses between 10.8 and 15.5 billion US$. Thus, seven years after the record impact of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Hurricane Sandy is the second costliest hurricane in the history of the United States.

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