The aim of the present work was to study the presence of
aflatoxins in blood and urine of infants with
protein-energy malnutrition (PEM). The study was conducted on 60 infants, 30 with
kwashiorkor and 30 with
marasmus, with 10 age-matched healthy infants studied as a control group. Complete blood count, liver function tests, and determination of the level of
aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1, G2, M1, M2, G2a, B3, GM1, P, and
aflatoxicol R0) in blood and urine were carried out in all studied infants. Serum
aflatoxins were detected in more infants with
kwashiorkor (80%) than in those with
marasmus (46.7%). The mean serum levels of total
aflatoxins, AFB1, AFG1, and AFB2a, were significantly higher in infants with
kwashiorkor (p <.001).
Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) was the most commonly detected type. The prevalence of
aflatoxin excretion in the urine of infants with
kwashiorkor was 80%, a higher value than that in infants with
marasmus (46.7%). The mean urinary concentration of total
aflatoxins followed the same pattern of distribution (p < .052). There were no significant differences between groups in the mean urinary concentrations of AFB1, AFG1, AFB2a, AFM1, and AFG2a.
Aflatoxins were not detected in any of the serum or urine samples of the control group.
Aflatoxins are highly prevalent in this study population and show a high degree of correlation with severe PEM.