penaeus monodon - Cochin University of Science and Technology

genotoxicity, carcinogenicity, teratogenicity and other functional effects.
Susceptibility of animals to toxic effects of aflatoxin varies with several
factors such as breed, strain, age, nutritional status, amount of toxin intake
and also the capacity of liver microsomal enzymes to detoxify AFB,
(Veltman, 1984).
2.1.5.1. Toxicity of aflatoxin
In cattle, feeding aflatoxin at a level of 2 mg/kg showed liver lesions
after 4 weeks of treatment (Allcroft and Lewis, 1963). AFB, in chickens
have been reported to cause liver damage, decreased haemoglobin and
hypoproteinemia (Brown and Abrams, 1965), liver lesions (Camaghan et
al., 1966), decrease in weight gain and feed efficiency (Dalvi and
McGowan, 1984). Butler (1964) recorded haemorhages in many organs,
particularly in congested lungs and necrosis in myocardium, kidney and
spleen in rats. Rogers et al. (1971) observed fatty livers, periportal hepatic
necrosis and proliferation of bile ducts and surrounding connective tissue in
male rats given LD50 of AFB,. Madhavan et al. (1965) have recorded
hepatotoxicty and lesions like fatty infiltration, biliary proliferation and
portal fibrosis in two rhesus monkeys fed aflatoxins for 34 days until their
death.
The clinical abnormalities and histologic lesions of aflatoxicosis were
patchy necrosis in kidneys, pancreas and spleen of guinea pigs (Butler,
1966), centrolobular necrosis and fibrosis of liver in pigs (Krogh et al.,
1973), liver necrosis, shrunken hepatic cells with pyknotic nuclei and fatty
change of hepatocytes in ducks (Newbeme et al., 1964), anorexia, icterus,
weight loss; increased serum activities of liver specific enzymes and hepatic
fibrosis and degeneration in goats (Miller et al., 1984) and degeneration of
hepatic cells, fibrosis and hyperplasia in rabbits (Krishna et al., 1991).