Toxicology is a discipline concerned with studying the potential of chemical to produce harmful effects in living organisms. History and sources of aflatoxin. Aflatoxin is used to typify a group of toxicants known as mycotoxins. High liklihood of human and animal exposure. Food toxicology, microbiology, animal science Aflatoxin requires metabolism in the animal to cause pathology.
Aflatoxin is one of the most potent carcinogens yet examined.
Thousands of these natural toxins exist that have been known or potential adverse health effects in humans and animals. Production of these toxins may confer a protective or competitive advantage to the organism that produces them. Mytotoxins are a diverse group of chemicals that elicit a wide range of toxic responses in animals and humans. Excessive moisture in the in the field and storage, temperature extremes, humidity, drought, variation in harvesting practices and insect infestation determine the severity of the mycotoxin contamination. In domestic animals, mycotoxin contamination reduces growth efficiency, lowers feed conversion and reproductive rates, impairs resistance to infection, reduces vaccination efficacy and induces pathological damage to the liver and other organs.