Article
Article
Aflatoxin
Article By:
Bennett, J. W. Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Last reviewed:August 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.013800
Any of a group of secondary metabolites produced by the common molds Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus that cause a toxic response in vertebrates when introduced in low concentration by a natural route. The group constitutes a type of mycotoxin. Discovered in 1960 after a massive poisoning of turkey poults fed moldy peanut meal, aflatoxin has become the focus of a highly interdisciplinary research field involving chemists, mycologists, veterinarians, agriculturalists, toxicologists, and other basic and applied scientists. See also: Toxin
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