High levels of ochratoxin A in blood serum and kidneys of wild boars Sus scrofa in Poland

The aim of our study was to evaluate the ochratoxin A (OTA) concentration in the blood serum and kidneys of wild boars Sus scrofa in two consecutive years. We took samples from wild boars hunted in five regions of northwestern Poland during November and December 2006 (N = 39) and throughout 2007 (N = 62). The body weight of the animals ranged from 35 to 100 kg. As a control, we used 20 pigs Sus scrofa domestica of an average body weight of 100 kg. We extracted the OTA and then purified it on immunoaffinity columns. The amount of OTA was determined using HPLC-FLD. The OTA concentration varied among individual animals, some of which had extremely high levels in their blood serum (1,170 ng/ml) and kidneys (97 ng/g). The 2006 average OTA concentration in the serum was similar to the average found in 2007 (6.15 ng/ml and 5.91 ng/ml, respectively). In 2006, the concentration of OTA in the serum of wild boars was > 3 times higher than the concentration found in the serum of pigs. We detected a higher level of OTA in the kidneys of wild boars in both 2006 (1.77 ng/g) and 2007 (2.34 ng/g) than the levels present in the kidneys of pigs (0.59 ng/g). In conclusion, the content of OTA in the serum and kidneys of wild boars changed with year and region. The OTA levels in wild boars from certain regions were much higher than in other regions, and such high levels may cause nephropathy in wild boars and thus pose a possible threat to consumers.