Skip to main content
Log in

Aflatoxin B1 Level in Relation to Child’s Feeding and Growth

  • Original Article
  • Published:
The Indian Journal of Pediatrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

To study the influence of sociological factors, breast feeding and weaning on aflatoxin exposure in children as well as to determine the effect of aflatoxin exposure on child’s growth.

Methods

A questionnaire, administered to the mothers of forty-six children, obtained information on the child’s age, sex, residence, feeding, weaning and general health status. Maternal parity, education and occupation were also collected. Height for age Z-score (HAZ) and weight for age Z-score (WAZ) of children were calculated at the time of recruitment. TLC analysis was performed for aflatoxin B1 level in studied children and their mothers.

Results

Aflatoxin B1 was detected in 17 out of 46 (36.96%) of children’s serum at a median concentration of 51.61 (30.565–62.795) ppm and in 17 out of 46 (36.96%) of mother’s serum at a median concentration of 50 (35.59–84.93) ppm. Aflatoxin B1 level was neither affected by child’s age, sex, residence whether rural or urban, maternal age, parity, education nor occupation. Aflatoxin B1 in breastfed patients was significantly lower than in non-breastfed ones (p = 0.034). Weight for age Z-score (WAZ) showed no significant difference between aflatoxin B1 negative and positive cases (p = 0.422) while height for age Z-score (HAZ) was significantly lower in aflatoxin B1 positive compared to negative cases (p = 0.001). A significant positive correlation between aflatoxin B1 in the present cases and their mothers (r = 0.881, p = 0.0001) and a significant negative correlation between aflatoxin B1 in present cases and their height-z-score (HAZ) (r = −0.460, p = 0.001) was detected.

Conclusions

Breast feeding results in lower aflatoxin exposure. Also, a strong association between aflatoxin exposure and impaired child’s growth exists.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Zarba A, Wild CP, Hall AJ, Montesano R, Hudson GJ, Groopman JD. Aflatoxin M1 in human breast milk from the Gambia, West Africa, quantified by combined monoclonal antibody immunoaffinity chromatography and HPLC. Carcinogenesis. 1992;13:891–4.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Massey TE, Steward RK, Daniel JM, Ling L. Biochemical and molecular aspects of mammalian susceptibility to aflatoxin B1 carcinogenicity. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1995;208:213–27.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Kambar A. A study on the occurrence of aflatoxin M1 in raw milk produced in Sarab city of Iran. Food Control. 2005;16:593–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. World Health Organization; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Evaluation of certain mycotoxins in food. Fifty-sixth report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. World Health Organ Tech Rep Ser. 2002;906:1–62.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Cavaliere C, Foglia P, Pastorini E, Samperi R, Lagana A. Liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometric confirmatory method for determining aflatoxin M1 in cow milk: comparison between electrospray and atmospheric pressure photoionization sources. J Chromatogr A. 2006;1101:69–78.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Creppy EE. Update of survey, regulation and toxic effects of mycotoxins in Europe. Toxicol Lett. 2002;28(127):19–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Bakirci I. A study on the occurrence of aflatoxin M1 in milk and milk products produced in Van province in Turkey. Food Control. 2001;12:47–51.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Pittet A. Natural occurrence of mycotoxins in foods and feeds an updated review. Rev Méd Vét. 1998;149:479–92.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Unusan N. Occurrence of aflatoxin M1 in UHT milk in Turkey. Food Chem Toxicol. 2006;44:1897–900.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Yaroglu T, Oruc HH, Tayar M. Aflatoxin M1 levels in cheese samples from some provinces of Turkey. Food Control. 2005;16:883–85.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. El-Nezami HS, Nicoletti G, Neal GE, Donahu DC, Ahokas JT. Aflatoxin M1 in human breast milk samples from Victoria, Austria and Thailand. Food Chem Toxicol. 1994;33:173–9.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Eppley RM. Screening method for zearalenone, aflatoxin and ochratoxin. J Assoc Off Anal Chem. 1968;51:74–8.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Abdelhamid AM. Mycotoxine in osterreichischen Futtermitteln. Diss. Boku Univ Wien 1981

  14. Gong YY, Egal S, Hounsa A, Turner PC, Hall AJ, Cardwell KF et al. Determinants of aflatoxin exposure in young children from Benin and Togo, West Africa: the critical role of weaning. Int J Epidemiol. 2003;32:556–62.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Sadeghi N, Oveisi MR, Jannat B, Hajimahmoodi M, Bonyani H, Jannat F. Incidence of aflatoxin M1 in human beast milk in Tehran, Iran. Food Control. 2009;20:75–8.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Gong YY, Hounsa A, Egal S, Turner PC, Sutcliffe AE, Hall AJ et al. Postweaning exposure of aflatoxin results in impaired child growth: a longitudinal study in Benin, West Africa. Environ Health Perspect. 2004;112:1334–8.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Gong YY, Cardwell K, Hounsa A, Egal S, Turner PC, Hall AJ. Dietary aflatoxin exposure and impaired growth in young children from Benin and Togo: cross sectional study. Br Med J. 2002;325:20–1.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Turner PC, Moore SE, Hall AJ, Prentice AM, Wild CP. Modification of immune function through exposure to dietary aflatoxin in Gambian children. Environ Health Perspect. 2003;111:217–20.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Williams JH, Philips TD, Jolly PE, Stiles JK, Jolly CM, Aggarwal D. Human aflatoxicosis in developing countries: a review of toxicology, exposure, potential health consequences and interventions. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004;80:1106–22.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Turner PC, Collinson AC, Cheung YB, Gong YY, Hall AJ, Prentice AM, et al. Aflatoxin exposure in utero causes growth faltering in Gambian infants. Int J Epidemiol. 2007;36:1119–25.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Marin DE, Taranu I, Bunaciu RP, Pascale F, Tudor DS, Avram N et al. Changes in performance, blood parameters, humoral and cellular immune responses in weanling piglets exposed to low doses of aflatoxin. J Anim Sci. 2002;80:1250–7.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Abdulrazzaq YM, Osman N, Yousif ZM, Trad O. Morbidity in neonates of mothers who have ingested aflatoxins. Ann Trop Paediatr. 2004;24:145–51.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Conflict of Interest

None.

Role of Funding Source

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Basma Osama Shouman.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Shouman, B.O., El Morsi, D., Shabaan, S. et al. Aflatoxin B1 Level in Relation to Child’s Feeding and Growth. Indian J Pediatr 79, 56–61 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-011-0493-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-011-0493-y

Keywords

Navigation