Acute aflatoxicosis in dogs of Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Acute aflatoxicosis in dogs of Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

CAMPOS S.G; PIMENTA A.L.P.; ALMEIDA T.M.; LUCENA, F.P.; BACELAR A., CAVAGLIERI L., DACERO A., ROSA C.A.R

Nantes, Francia

Congreso; 10th Congress of the European Society of Veterinaty and Comparative Nutrition; 2006

The aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1, G2), bis-furanocumarins produced by species of the Aspergillus genera (A. flavus, A. parasiticus, A. nomius), are worldwide contaminants of raw materials and feedstuffs. These micotoxins are hepatotoxic for many animal species and also for cans1, being considered as carcinogens type 1. Little information has been published on the acute natural aflatoxins poisoning in dogs. The affected animals present morbidity and raised mortality, jaundice, anorexia, depression, hemorrhage and polidipssia1,2,3,4,5. The anatomo-histopathologic description for aflatoxicosis includes gastrointestinal generalized jaundice, hepatic fat degeneration, hemorrhages, necrosis or regeneration; bilifers ducts proliferation; bile accumulation in the internal canaliculs; fibroplasia, necrosis or segmentary atrophy of the intra-hepatic biliary ducts. The objective of the present work was to identify and to quantify the mycotoxins able to produce poisoning. Dogs (400) from different veterinarian clinics of the Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, reported clinical symptoms of aflatoxicosis. All of them were fed with the same commercial feed. One hundred and seventeen samples (117) of rations were analyzed for mycotoxins by high pressure liquid chromatography7. Serological studies for leptospirosis, erlichiosis and babesiosis were carried out. Twenty eight animals were autopsed and the organ samples were kept freezed and in formol (10%). Fragments of the collected organs were stained to make the histopathologic examinations. The serologic study for leptospirosis, erlichiosis and babesiosis was negative. There was an evolution from acute to subacute, with high morbidity and mortality. The autopsy of 28 dogs showed generalized jaundice, petequias, hydrothorax and ascites, stomach and thin intestine with edematic and hemorrhagic mucosa, liver with rough surface, hemorrhagic areas and biliary vesicle wall edema. The histopathology showed degenerative and colestatic acute hepatitis. Mainly, center-lobular distribution of microvesicular esteatosis, biliary ducts proliferation, intracellular and canalicular bilestasis. These results agreed with others found by different researchers6. Samples (67.5%) showed levels of aflatoxins B1 and B2 that ranged between 12.2 ng g-1 to 321 ng g-1. The detected AFB1 levels were similar than those by Liggett et al. and Ketterer et al.4. All samples came from the same commercial mark. The dogs died for aflatoxicosis (sub-acute to acute). Aflatoxigenic Aspergillus flavus were isolated from raw materials intended for the feed manufacture whereas final feed did not show an important fingal contamination. Although the feed processing reduces the fungal growth, the aflatoxins are present in the raw material. For its sanitary quality, the identification of the contaminant mycoflora and mycotoxins in feed supplies should be investigated.