A Study of Aflatoxicosis in Laying Hens

Abstract INTRODUCTION THE lethal potential of aflatoxins was recognized when aflatoxins were discovered and found to be the etiological agent responsible for the losses of turkey poults (Blount, 1961), ducklings and chickens (Asplin and Carnaghan, 1961), swine (Loosmore and Harding, 1961), and calves (Loosmore and Markson, 1961) in Great Britain. Carcinogenic properties were attributed to aflatoxins (Lancaster et al., 1961) soon after their discovery. Some attention has focused on the potential public health hazard of foods derived from animals fed aflatoxin-contaminated feeds. Allcroft and Carnaghan (1963) reported that milk from cows fed aflatoxin-contaminated feed was toxic to day-old ducklings. De Iongh et al. (1964) and Van Der Linde et al. (1965) have also reported on the toxicity to ducklings of milk from cows receiving aflatoxin-contaminated feeds. Brown and Abrams (1965) reported neither aflatoxins nor their fluorescing toxic metabolites were present in the milk of cows fed on highly toxic rations, and…