A study in Mycotoxin Research by Dänicke and colleagues evaluated the in vitro immunotoxic potential of mycotoxins commonly detected in commercial dry dog and cat foods, comparing the laboratory effects against estimates of internal exposure for animals consuming contaminated feed.
The researchers note that several mycotoxins routinely turn up in pet food at detectable concentrations even when products meet regulatory action limits, and that the combined effect of multiple low-level contaminants is poorly characterized.
For households where pets share the same indoor environment as people, the paper is a useful data point: mycotoxin exposure pathways extend beyond water-damaged buildings to include the food chain, and animals exposed to contaminated feed can show measurable biological effects.