AFLATOXIN CONTAMINATION OF CORN USED AS BAIT FOR DEER IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED-STATES

Samples of shelled corn used for wildlife feed were taken from bait pi les and storage bins in North Carolina and South Carolina (USA) from 2 9 September through 28 November 1993, and were analyzed for anatoxin. Twenty (51%) of 39 samples were positive, with anatoxin levels ranging from a trace to 750 parts per billion. Based on the high prevalence o f anatoxin-contaminated corn, exposure of wildlife to anatoxin undoubt edly occurs, although the effects of such exposure are largely unknown .