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What is Mycoglannan

Mycoglannan is produced from the cell walls of inactivated baker’s yeast (SaccharomycesCerevisiae) which has been grown by non-­‐alcohol fermentation. The yeast cell walls are ruptured, extracted by centrifuge and then washed, dried and pasteurized.

Manufacturers Statement: No raw material used in the preparation of this product contains any product of animal origin. All materials used in the preparation of the product are GMO free. This product generally complies with current Food standards and Regulations and any subsequent amendments.

Suggested use: Maintenance rate during low risk conditions : 20gm per feed

Why Use Mycoglannan

Some types of gram-negative bacteria live in the gut of the horse but don’t cause any problems unless the horse is sick for some other reason. At this point the bacteria start to excessively proliferate, they breach the cell wall of the gut and get into the blood stream. When they die off, their cell walls rupture, releasing a toxin called lipopolysaccharide (LPS) into the blood stream, causing endotoxemia. E.coli and Salmonella are an example of some of these bacteria. These healthy horses will eliminate the bacteria in their manure. Other horses and foals in the paddocks may then eat the manure and so the bacteria is passed on.
Some of the conditions that can lead to edotoxenia are -
- Damage to the mucous barrier in the intestines
- Inflammation of the small intestine
- Twisted gut
- Colitis (a severe intestinal condition brought on by stress)
- Acute metritis (severe inflammation of the uterus due to infection, usually from a retained placenta)
- Infection of the umbilicus in foals
- Insufficient ingestion of colostrum in foals

There are many groups of mycotoxins, and below is a list of a few that are knows to affect the horses.
These are toxins that are produced from many forms of fungi and are found in cereal crops and some in dried fruits ( rose-hips are a dried fruit), and grasses and pastures, and hays.
Pauline from www.gravelproofhoof.org has a very good write up on mycotoxins. Please visit this site for a great read.

*Mycotoxin

^Fungi

# Effect on animals

*Aflatoxin -
^Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus parasiticus
# liver disease, carcinogenic and teratogenic effects

*Trichothecenes -
^Fusarium graminearum, Fusarium sporotrichioides
# immunologic effects, hematological changes, digestive diorders,edema

*Zearalenone -
^Fusarium graminearum
# estrogenic effects, atrophy of ovaries and testicles, abortion

*Ochratoxin -
^Aspergillus ochraceus, Penicillium verrucosum
# nephrotoxicity, mild liver damage, immune suppression

*Ergot alkaloid -
^Claviceps purpurea, Claviceps paspaspali
# nervous or gangrenous syndromes

*Fumonisin -
^Fusarium verticillioides, Fusarium proliferatum
# pulmonary edema, leukoencephalomalacia, nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity

So, how does the Mycoglannan come into this?

Mycoglannan is a toxin binder. It binds to many of the toxins before they get a chance to enter the body through the cell wall of the gut. Once bound, the body is able to eliminate the toxins via the manure.
It also enhances the antibodies the body makes to deal with the invaders, enhancing the immunoglobulin during gestation improving colostrum and transfer of immunity from mother to offspring at birth.

- Improves gut health by providing to animals with a better capacity to absorb nutrients and cope with challenging environmental conditions.
- Limits negative impact of mycotoxins on animals.
- Binds a broad spectrum of major pathogens (E.coli, Salmonella) thanks to its high content in mannanoligosaccharides (MOS), reducing their attachment onto the intestinal mucus.
- Helps to raise animal natural self defenses • Enhances humoral immune responses under challenging conditions.
- Improves cell-mediated immune response to disease
- Binds specific mycotoxins avoiding its absorption through the intestine.

Where To Buy Mycoglannan

You can purchase this from www.thehealthynest.com.au

What is Mycoglannan and how does it work?
It is made up of material, which forms 2 rings surrounding the yeast cell wall. The Mycoglannan is made up of Mannans and B Glucans. 
The outer layer is Mannan Protein also known as mannanoligosaccharide (MOS). 
Mannan is a non-digestible protein carbohydrate, when added to an animals total feed, its complex nature prohibits it being digested by the animal, but makes it available to be used by the good bacteria/flora of the gut. This allows the good bacteria to grow rapidly in the gut and provide an improved defence against harmful bacteria. The animal is now better able to fight against bad bugs. This is referred to as a prebiotic.
A Prebiotic can be described as a biological agent, which stimulates preventative measures within the gut of an animal.
Pathogens enter the animals gut and look for a place on the cells which line the gastrointestinal tract to bind and subsequently colonize and reproduce.
To prevent the establishment of the bad bacteria, it is necessary to stop the binding process. The Mannans do this by getting between the lectins on the bad bacteria and the sugar compounds on the intestinal lining. The lectins attach to the Mycoglannan instead of the sugars on the cell of the gut wall lining. After capturing the pathogens, the Mycoglannan is expelled naturally by the animal through the gut along with other waste materials. 

Due to the production techniques, Mycoglannan material is one of the most consistent and effective MOS on the market.

Mycoglannan acts as a Macrophage –
A macrophage is a cell in the blood stream which destroys and digests pathogens.
The inner layer of the cell wall is made up by the extremely complex carbohydrate 1,3 1,6 Beta-glucan. It has been shown Beta-glucans interact with the immune system to increase its reaction capabilities. 
So the Mycoglannan works to activate the animals’ immune system through the activity of beta-glucans and mannans which are two of the main components of the yeast cell wall. These elements bind to pathogens in the digestive tract and stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies. 

Mycoglannan material is a component of many specialty animal feeds over seas.  
Many of the Sheep farmers in the UK and Ireland are using this cell wall material and finding the benefits overwhelming. They claim that the Mycoglannan material increases the amount of maternal antibodies in the colostrum the ewes are producing, giving the lambs the best form of disease defence possible.
It would be interesting to know whether this follows through to other species.

I have been asked about using other forms of toxin binders such as bentonite and zeolite. Below is a study that was done in a Brazilian university -

Carlos Alberto da Rocha Rosa DVM, Ph.D., Universidad Federal Rural de Rio de Janeiro, Brazil -Adsorbing agents - One of the strategies for reducing the exposure to mycotoxins is to decrease their bioavailability by including various mycotoxin adsorbing agents in the compound feed, which leads to a reduction of mycotoxin uptake as well as distribution to the blood and target organs. Adsorbing agents are also called binding agents, adsorbents, binders, etc. The reduction of mycotoxin bioavailability using various inorganic adsorbents – like bentonite and zeolites - has been thoroughly studied. However, some of these adsorbents can reduce nutritional value of feeds by binding trace minerals, amino acids and vitamins and reducing their bioavailability and even produce dioxins, produce undesirable side effects and they are not considered safe by the European Union. Due to the limitations of mineral adsorption, many studies have been conducted over the last decade on biological adsorbents, in an attempt to obtain greater efficacy and specificity while, at the same time, reduce the impact on nutritional quality compared to mineral adsorbents.

These are not binders we like to use full time, and you can now see why. Within this study it was also discovered that the Mycoglannan material was affective in inhibiting the oestrogenic effect of ZEA(zearalenone) pathogen.

As more research results are published overseas, and the list of pathogens controlled by Mycoglannan material increases, it is being mooted that the product will eventually replace the antibiotics used as growth stimulants. Until these claims are accepted and approved by the APVMA, it would be prudent at this time to expect only the following performance claims and benefits:
- helps maintain a healthy immune system
- supports natural defense
- promotes a healthy gut flora
- maintains and promotes gut health.

Introducing Mycoglannan to an animals feed would be reasonable to assume prevention is better then cure.

I hope you have found this informative and helped you to understand the affects you are seeing with your animals. I hope you can all continue to share the results you are getting with us and others to help us all learn more about the affects of this amazing product.

Where To Buy Mycoglannan

You can purchase this from www.thehealthynest.com.au

Suggested use of Mycoglannan

20gms 2 x day maintenance dose. Not toxic so can be fed at higher level safely if necessary. This also may need to be introduced with a small amount over a few feeds. They love it once used to the new smell/taste.

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