Pathogenicity

PATHOGENECITY

Symptoms

  • Young animals, particularly young pigs, calves, turkey poults and ducklings are highly susceptible.
  • Aflatoxin B1 produce the most hepatogenic, carcinogenic, teratogenic and embryotoxic effects.
  • Prominent signs in calves include blindness, circling, grinding of teeth, diarrhoea, tenesmus and convulsions.
  • Aflatoxicosis has ben described in goats. But sheep are highly resistant.
  • In dairy cattle, afalatoxin M1 and M2 are excreted in the milk.
  • In pigs, signs include drowsiness, inappetance, jaundice, weight loss and yellow urine.
  • Ducklings are considered to be the most susceptible avain species to aflatoxins.
  • Signs include anorexia, poor growth rate, ataxia and opisthotonus, followed by death.
  • In birds over three weeks of age, subcutaneous haemorrhages of legs and feet.

Lesions

  • Principle target organ is liver. Depending on the severity of intoxication, hepatomegaly with necrosis and marked bile duct hyperplasia will occur.
  • Acute hepatic failure and massive haemorrhage due to impaired blood clotting, increased capillary fragility leading to death may occur with higher doses.
  • In chronic toxicity, in additon to liver damage, degenerative changes in the kidney, thymus cortical aplasia leading to decreased cell mediated immune response will occur.
Last modified: Monday, 4 June 2012, 8:32 AM