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Abstract
Aflatoxins have been commonly found as toxic contaminants of human food in the tropics. They have been detected in the milk of aflatoxin fed animals mainly in the form of Aflatoxin M1 and M2. A study in the United States has shown that aflatoxins cross the complex porcine placenta and exert adverse biological effects on piglets.
Investigations in the Sudan, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria sought to confirm the presence of aflatoxins in human breast milk and explored the possibility that aflatoxins cross the human placenta. Breast milk, cord blood and maternal blood were analysed for aflatoxins.
Aflatoxins were detected in 37% of 99 Sudanese, 28% of 191 Kenyan and 34% of 510 Ghanaian breast milk samples. In Ghana the rate of detection was higher in the wet (41%) than dry (28%) season.
Cord blood was obtained from 282 babies in Ghana, 101 babies in Kenya and 78 babies in Nigeria showed aflatoxins in 31%, 37% and 12% respectively. In Kenya the rate of detection was higher in the wet (52%) than dry (23%) season. Mothers blood was also obtained at delivery in 83 Kenyan cases and 77 Nigerian cases (1 set of twins) aflatoxins were detected in both maternal and cord blood specimens in 14 Kenyan and 7 Nigerian instances.
Three unexplained still births were recorded, all showed aflatoxins present in maternal and cord blood specimens.
These findings confirm the exposure of infants postnatally to aflatoxins and demonstrate the ability of aflatoxins to cross the human placental membrane.