WATERFOWL MORTALITY CAUSED BY AFLATOXICOSIS IN TEXAS

Abstract
Waterfowl mortality caused by aflatoxicosis occurred in 2 areas in Texas during the 1977-1978 wintering season. The 1st outbreak occurred in snow geese (Anser caerulescens) on the Gulf Coast prairies, followed by an outbreak in mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) in the north-central portion of the state. Aflatoxin B1 levels in geese were 500 ng/g (dry wt). Aflatoxin B1 levels in the 2nd mortality were 10-250 ng/g (dry wt). The exact source of the toxin was not demonstrated in the 1st outbreak but in the 2nd outbreak was traced to waste peanuts, which constituted a major portion of the diet of wintering waterfowl in north-central Texas. Aflatoxin B1 levels in the field peanuts collected in the general areas were 110 ng/g.

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