AFLATOXICOSIS IN ANIMALS

Aflatoxicosis is a condition characterized by severe liver damage due to feeding animals and
birds with ground-nut cake containing a toxin known as aflatoxin of a mould, Aspergillus flavus
Other fungi incriminated are A. parasiticus and Penicillum puberium
Cattle, pigs and poultry are affected. Buffaloes appear to be more succeptible than white cattle.
Ducks and dogs are also more susceptible.
Etiology:
The condition results from feeding groundnut cake containing the aflatoxin. High humidity and
storage for long periods appear to facilitate the growth of the fungus on the cake. Probably the
toxin interferes with protein synthesis by the liver. There are 6 types of aflatoxins –B1, B2,
G1, G2, M1 and M2.
Symptoms:
Cattle:
• The first symptom noticed is slight loss in appetite shown by the animal leaving away the
concentrates in feed troughs. Subsequently it refuses the concentrates.
• There may be periodical diarrhoea with dark colored fetid feces.
• During this period the animal is dull and grinds its teeth.
• Later ascites, emaciation, anemia and tenesmus are seen.
• Fluid accumulation in the abdomen increases gradually and the animal finally dies.
• No rise in body temperature is seen.
• There may be icterus and pneumonia occasionally. Pregnant animals may abort.

Poultry:
• In ducklings and turkey poults, loss of weight, oculo-nasal discharge, staggering gait and
nervous symptoms may be noticed resulting in heavy mortality.
• To white skinned ducks, purplish discoloration of shank and web and hemorrhages on
serous membranes and muscles (hemorrhagic syndrome) may be noticed. Though similar
symptoms may be noticed in chicks, mortality is low.
• Reduced egg production occurs in layers.

Gross Lesions
• Macroscopically visible mucous membranes are pale or slightly icteric
• Ascites is seen with variable quantity of straw colored fluid in the peritoneal cavity.
• Liver is enlarged, pale and firm in some advanced cases it may be hard to cut.
• Section reveals necrotic greyish areas in some animals. In early cases liver may be yellow
and fatty.

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Microscopic lesions:
• In the early stages the hepatic cells are loaded with fat.
• Subsequently centrilobular necrosis sets in. Later the whole lobule may be involved.
• The fibrous tissue proliferates and invading the parenchyma isolates the surviving hepatic
cells into small groups of two or more cells or into cell cords having either single or
double rows of cells. This appearance is characteristic of pericellular cirrhosis. The
hepatic cells assume different shapes but most of them are oval.
• There is marked focal infiltration by lymphocytes and plasma cells in the interlobular
connective tissue, occasionally, simulating chronic interstitial hepatitis.
• There is marked bile duct proliferation, sometimes to such an extent as to suggest
neoplasia.
• Fibrosis causes occlusion of the central veins and so the name `Veno occlusive disease’
is given to it. The media of the hepatic arteries is hypertrophied which is a characteristic
feature in cirrhosis.
• In ducks hepatic carcinoma is very common.

Piglets born of sows that have ingested contaminated cake may be affected. The piglets may
either be poisoned in utero or they may have ingested the poison through the milk of the sows
since aflatoxin is found to be excreted through milk. The piglets become emaciated, ecteric and
show diarrhoea.
Macroscopically, the visible mucous membranes are icteric, petechiae are found in the
gastrointestinal tract, the liver is enlarged, soft, friable and very yellow.
Microscopically, the hepatic cells show intense fatty changes. In a recent outbreak of acute
aflatoxicosis in a piggery, piglets of 4 to 5 of age suffered heavy mortality. The animals were off
feed first and so weight gain was reduced from 3.2 Kg/per day to 1.2 kg per day. The animals
became very much emaciated and some had subnormal temperature before cath. Majority
showed jaundice which was intense during the last stages of the disease. Neutrophils increased A
few animals showed 90% neutrophils with shift to the left.
Lesions: Icterus of the mucous membranes and subcutaneous fat, wide spread hemorrhages
in the stomach, intestines and large amount of free blood in the large intestines and abdominal
and thoracic cavities. Petechiae and ecchymosis were found on the serous membranes,
subcutaneous fat, pericardium and endocardium. Liver was enlarged and was pale tan to yellow
in color. In some the liver was covered with yellow flakes. The wail of the gall bladder was
edematous.

In some animals serous cavities contained half to two litres of yellow colored transudate. In some
this was serosanguineous. Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis was prominent in the majority of animals.
Microscopical picture was similar to that described earlier.

In summary,

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The aflatoxin is hepatotoxic causing successively fatty infiltration, necrosis and
postnecrotic cirrhosis. So care should be taken not to feed groundnut cake too much. It
should be understood that aflatoxin is excreted through milk and there is a possibility of
hazard in feeding such milk to children.