Aflatoxins in Uganda: An Encyclopedic Review of the Etiology,

Abstract

31 Uganda is predominantly an agricultural country where farming employ more than 60% of the 32 population. Aflatoxins remain a scourge in the country, unprecedentedly reducing the value of 33 agricultural foods and in high enough exposure levels, implicated for hepatocellular carcinoma, 34 stunted growth in children and untimely deaths. This review synthetizes the country’s major 35 findings in relation to the mycotoxin’s etiology, epidemiology, detection, quantification, exposure 36 assessment, control and reduction in different matrices. It also highlights some of the management 37 strategies for aflatoxin control that could be adopted in Uganda. Review results indicate that 38 aflatoxins in Uganda is majorly produced by Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus and have been 39 reported in maize (Zea mays L.), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.), sesame (Sesamum indicum), 40 PeerJ Preprints | https://doi.org/10.7287/peerj.preprints.27963v1 | CC BY 4.0 Open Access | rec: 16 Sep 2019, publ: 16 Sep 2019 2 beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), sunflower (Helianthus annus), millet (Eleusine coracana), a bovine 41 milk-based product, peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.) and cassava (Manihot esculenta) with the 42 highest content reported in cassava, beans and peanuts. The causes and proliferation of 43 aflatoxigenic contamination of Ugandan foods have been largely due to poor pre-, periand post44 harvest activities, poor government legislation, lack of awareness and low levels of education 45 among farmers, agri-entreprenuers and consumers on the plague. Aflatoxin B1 is the most 46 prevalent aflatoxin in Uganda. There is still limited research on aflatoxins in Uganda because the 47 surveillance, reduction and control carry prohibitive costs. A few exposure assessments have been 48 done especially in human sera and dependence on a single or a related set of foods with little diet 49 diversity has exacerbated the risk of exposure to aflatoxins in Uganda because most of the staple 50 foods are aflatoxin-prone. On the detection, control and reduction, these are still marginal, though 51 some devoted scholars have devised and validated a sensitive portable device for on-site aflatoxin 52 detection in maize as well as shown that starter cultures used for making some cereal-based 53 beverages have the potential to bind aflatoxins. More effort should be geared towards awareness 54 creation through training of farmers and traders in the cereal value chain as well as developing 55 capacity to monitor aflatoxins. Vaccination against Hepatitis B and Hepatitis A should be 56 emphasized to reduce the risk of development of liver cancer among the populace. 57