Aflatoxin exposure produces serum alphafetoprotein elevations and marked oval cell proliferation in young male Pekin ducklings.

Feeding of aflatoxin to ducks produces extensive oval cell proliferation in the liver associated with a prolonged elevation of serum alphafetoprotein (AFP), Short term feeding of 0.075-0.6 mu g/g of aflatoxin to young male Pekin ducks results in rapid and massive dose-related proliferation of "oval" cells, which extend from the portal zone across the hepatic lobule within three to five weeks. Longer term feeding of 0.15 mu g/g and 0.3 mu g/g results in prolonged elevations of serum AFP. Prolonged elevation of serum AFP serves as a marker of oval cell proliferation preceding hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. These results confirm that ducks are sensitive to low amounts of aflatoxin and develop early lesions that have been shown in other studies to be associated with hepatocarcinogenesis. These findings in ducks support the likelihood that aflatoxin exposure contributes to the risk for development of HCC in humans.