Fusarium graminearum is a fungus frequently isolated from cereal grains. In this study, the histopathological effects of dietary F. graminearum on rat kidneys were examined. Treated rats and controls were fed F. graminearum-inoculated and non-inoculated rice, respectively. After 14 days, all the rats were killed and their kidneys were removed and examined using light microscopy. The kidneys of the rats in the treatment group were characterized by the following histopathological findings: patch-like mononuclear cell infiltrations in the cortex; prominent necrosis of proximal tubules; debris areas containing mononuclear cells and degraded renal tubules; shrunken and densely eosinophilic apoptotic cells in the proximal tubule epithelium; karyorrhexis and mitotic figures in the epithelium of both proximal and distal tubules; and many apoptotic bodies in the areas between the renal tubules. It was concluded that dietary F. graminearum caused inflammation and tubular damage in the rat kidney. This is the first microscopic study showing that F. graminearum ingestion is associated with renal damage.
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