الفهرس 
introduction and review of the literatureOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Since mycotoxins have been discovered, their isolation,
characterization and toxic effects are major objectives of much of the
current research. Among the mycotoxins, aflatoxins have been intensively
studied and shown to be associated with effects on human and animal
health. Aflatoxins are a group of secondary metabolites produced by
molds Aspergillusjlavusand A. parasilicus. Aflatoxins are usually
produced in a mixture of 4 structurally related compounds (AFBI, AFB”
AFG I and AFG,) and contaminate most food and feed products. The
International Agency for Research on Cancer (!ARC) at 1993 reported
that there is a sufficient evidence to classify AFBI and mixtures of
aflatoxins as Group I carcinogens in humans. AFBI has thus been the
subject of the most extensive study, as its acute and chronic toxicity is
substantially greater than that of other aflatoxins in most biological
systems. Before the present study, the toxic effects of pure AFB, were
completely obscure. Therefore, the present study was the first attempt to
evaluate the acute effect of pure AFB” in comparison with the fully
elucidated one of AFB I, on physiological criteria associated with
aflatoxicosis in ducklings.
Three weeks old ducklings were i.p. injected with a single sublethal dose (0.3 mg/kg b.wt.) of either AFB1 or AFB2 . The control group was injected with the vehicle (DMSO) at ml/kg b. wt. Six birds from each group (AFB1 , AFB2 and control) were sacrificed at intervals of one day, 1,4,8 and 12 weeks of treatment to follow up the progressive changes. The work was designed to accomplish to the following objectives: growth performance, biochemical study in plasma, liver and kidney. Glucose, total lipid, cholesterol, total protein, albumin, urea and creatinine concentrations were determined. The enzymatic activity of AST, ALT, ALP and ACP were also evaluated and haematological study. The present results revealed clearly that AFB2 has toxic effects; including depressed growth performance, disturbed biochemical parameters and haemolytic anemia, more or less alike the wellknown toxic effects of AFB1.