Aflatoxicosis in Rabbits

The growth of fungi on various food materials decreases their nutritive value and taste. Some of the fungi during their growth produce secondary toxic metabolites, called mycotoxins, which are hazardous when ingested by animals and human beings. Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus group of fungi are ubiquitous and produce aflatoxin. Aflatoxin is carcinogenic to rodents and nonhuman primates. Administration through oral or any other routes are all effective and the cancer is produced mainly in the liver, colon, and kidney. Aflatoxin B1 primarily causes hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma in the liver. It is apparent from experiments with animals and from clinical observation in human under toxaemia that short exposures to large doses of aflatoxin produced acute toxicity which may be lethal; while exposure to small doses over a protracted period time is carcinogenic. The effects of frequent exposure to moderate amount of dietary aflatoxins which appears to be of common occurrence in many countries was not known.The present investigation is an attempt to enumerate various histopathological alterations observed in liver, kidney, spleen and adrenal during induced aflatoxic