Ochratoxin A (OTA), which is produced by a number of Aspergillus and Penicillium
species, has been listed as possibly carcinogenic to humans (group 2B) by the Interna-
tional Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). It causes renal toxicity, nephropathy and
immune-suppression in several animal species, resulting in reduced performance param-
eters in animal production. Ochratoxin has also been detected in blood and other animal
tissues and in milk, and has been implicated in the fatal human disease Balkan endemic
nephropathy