AFLATOXINS AND THEIR METABOLITES IN THE TISSUES, FECES AND URINE FROMLAMBS FEEDING ON AN AFLATOXIN-CONTAMINATED DIET

Twenty-four lambs were intoxicated with 2.5 mg of aflatoxin (AF) kg(-1 ) in their feed for 21 days. Twelve lambs were slaughtered at day 21 a nd the remaining animals had an 8 day clearance period. Aflatoxins and their metabolites were detected in liver, kidneys, faeces and urine u sing TLC and fluorescence densitometry. During the intoxication period , the samples gave a wide range of concentrations, the lower extreme b eing in the liver and the kidney (0.03 mu g kg(-1) of AFG(1)) and the higher extreme in faeces (61.82 mu g kg(-1) of AFM(1)) and urine (27.8 4 mu g litre(-1) of AFM(1)). The average value of AFB(1) (1.94 +/- 0.9 mu g kg(-1)) was higher than AFM(1) (0.35 +/- 0.17 mu g kg(-1)) in th e liver. In the kidney AFM(1) (5.45 +/- 4.01 mu g kg(-1)) was higher t han AFB(1) (1.29 +/- 0.84 mu g kg(-1)). There were higher concentratio ns of AFM(1) (27.2 +/- 16.1 pg kg(-1), 7.37 +/- 6.53 mu g litre(-1), r espectively, of average level) in faeces and urine, than of AFB(1) (17 .25 +/- 8 1 and 1.78 +/- 1.57 mu g litre(-1), respectively). AFB(2a) a ppeared in the kidney (0.05 +/- 0.03 mu g kg(-1)) and urine (0.35 +/- 0.25 mu g litre(-1)). The clearance time of AFB(1) from the faeces was less than or equal to 8 days and in all samples aflatoxin residues we re still detected on the 8th day of the clearance period although in l ow quantities. These results suggest that aflatoxin transfer to and el imination by the liver and the renal tissue is small and that the dang er to humans consuming lamb meat is also small. The examination of the faeces and urine could be useful as markers to detect lambs consuming a contaminated diet.