@inproceedings{01J3Z50KPHQSPADB2N3B8CRWW2,
  abstract     = {{Practically everyone undergoes chronic, low-dose, variable dietary exposure to mycotoxins throughout 
their lives and little is known about the risk of chronic multiple mycotoxin exposure. Some mycotoxins 
have been shown to impact the gut microbiome and have been linked with adverse effects on 
vulnerable structures in the intestines and the impairment of intestinal integrity [1]. Evidence for the 
involvement of the gut microbiome-inflammatory axis in chronic diseases is supported by the recent 
discovery of the cross-disease Bacteroides2 enterotype and its link to faecal calprotectin as a gut 
inflammatory marker, as well as to serum C-reactive protein, a systemic inflammatory marker [2]. In 
this work, we developed an analytical method for the identification and quantification of 41 mycotoxins 
and metabolites in human biospecimens by LC-MS/MS. Multi-mycotoxin exposure was investigated in 
serum samples from the Flemish adult population (n=385) participating in the Flemish Gut Flora Project 
(FGFP) cohort and urine samples from Flemish children (n=243) from the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort. In 
serum samples, 14 different mycotoxins and their metabolites were detected. All subjects were 
exposed to ochratoxin A and 27.3% of participants were exposed to two or more mycotoxins. In urine 
samples, deoxynivalenol and tenuazonic acid had the highest detection frequency (around 90%), 
demonstrating that most participants were exposed to more than one mycotoxin. A comparison of the 
different mycotoxin exposure patterns and concentrations in serum and urine samples will be 
discussed. 
Future research aims to investigate associations between multi-mycotoxin exposure and dietary 
patterns, alterations of the gut microbiota, chronic low-grade gut inflammation, and related biological 
diseases, e.g. DNA damage related to gastrointestinal cancer. This research is part of the Flemish 
exposome project, FLEXiGUT, a human large-scale observational study that combines human 
biomonitoring of dietary and environmental contaminants, metabolomics, microbiome research, and 
epidemiology to investigate the complex human exposome using a multi-omics approach [3].}},
  author       = {{Maris, Elias and Peró Gascón, Roger and [missing], FLEXiGUT consortium and De Boevre, Marthe and Raes, Jeroen and Nawrot, Tim and Covaci, Adrian and Vanhaecke, Lynn and De Saeger, Sarah}},
  booktitle    = {{Mycotoxin Workshop, 45th, Abstracts}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  location     = {{Vienna}},
  pages        = {{1}},
  title        = {{Human biomonitoring of multiple mycotoxins in the Flemish child and adult population : results of the FLEXiGUT project}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}