Aflatoxin Contamination of Australian Animal Feeds and Suspected Cases of Mycotoxicosis

Aflatoxin B1 was detected in 23 of 55 Australian feedstuffs known to be either water damaged or visibly mouldy. The highest contamination was 0.7 mg/kg of feed and the mean concentration 0.14 mg/kg. Of 36 feedstuffs purchased from local manufacturers, only a peanut meal contained aflatoxin B1 (0.5 mg/kg). Eleven feedstuffs were associated with field outbreakds of animal disease and 7 of these contained aflatoxin. However, the level of aflatoxin contamination was insufficient to account for the described disease symptoms.