Waterfowl mortality caused by aflatoxicosis in Texas

Waterfowl mortality caused by aflatoxicosis occurred in two separate areas in Texas during the 1977-78 wintering season. The first outbreak occurred in snow geese (Anser caerulescens) on the Gulf Coast prairies, followed by an outbreak in mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) in the north-central portion of the state. Aflatoxin B1 levels in geese were 500 ng/g (dry weight). Aflatoxin B1 levels in the second mortality were 10-250 ng/g (dry weight). The exact source of the toxin was not demonstrated in the first outbreak, but in the second outbreak was traced to waste peanuts, which constituted a major portion of the diet of wintering waterfowl in north-central Texas. Aflatoxin B1 levels in the field peanuts collected in the general areas were 110 ng/g.