The occurrence of ochratoxin A in human body fluids - review

Mycotoxins are metabolites of filamentous fungi. Ochratoxin A(OTA) is one of the mycotoxins most commonly isolated from the environment. It is regularly detected in cereals, coffee, cocoa, wine, beer, spices and milk, but also occur in the other foodstuffs. Accordingly, OTA is also found in human body fluids: the milk of breastfeeding women, urine, and blood. An understanding of the factors that determine human exposure to OTA are important. This work summarizes studies that describe the occurrence of OTA in human body fluids in the hope of identifying factors of populations that are associated with increased risk of ochratoxin A exposure.