title: An outbreak of canine aflatoxicosis in Gauteng Province, South Africa.
abstract: Sporadic outbreaks of aflatoxicosis occur in dogs when they consume contaminated dog  food. During 2011, low-cost brands of pelleted dog food were contaminated with very high  concentrations of aflatoxins. Approximately 100 dogs were presented to the Onderstepoort  Veterinary Academic Hospital. Clinically, the dogs were depressed to collapsed and icteric,  with haematemesis, melaena and haematochezia. The most common pathological findings  were icterus, gastro-enterorrhagia and hepatosis. On histopathological examination, fatty  hepatosis and bile duct proliferation were observed. A consistent, very characteristic finding  was the presence of a blue-grey granular material within the bile ducts. A total of 124 samples  of the dog food fed to the affected dogs was analysed to determine aflatoxin concentrations.  Concentrations ranged from below the limit of quantification (&lt; 5 μg/kg) to 4946 μg/kg and  six samples were submitted to determine the ratio of aflatoxins in the feed. It is estimated that  well over 220 dogs died in the Gauteng Province of South Africa as a result of this aflatoxin  outbreak.
authors: Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
authors: Luke F
authors: LF
authors: Arnot
authors: Neil M
authors: NM
authors: Duncan
authors: Heleen
authors: H
authors: Coetzer
authors: Christo J
authors: CJ
authors: Botha
mesh_terms: D000348:Aflatoxins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis*; D000818:Animals; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000662:veterinary*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D004285:Dogs; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D015651:Mycotoxicosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000348:Aflatoxins