Toxic effects of rice culture of Aspergillus candidus and its metabolite, xanthoascin, on Japanese quails.

Laying Japanese quails were fed on diet of 1:1 mixture of basal diet and rice cultures of 2 strains of Aspergillus candidus. During 20 days of feeding, egg production was significantly reduced in these groups compared with the birds fed unmolded rice. The liver of the quails sacrificed at 20 days showed fatty degeneration of hepatic cells. Following withdrawal of the moldy rice, rate of egg production recovered in 5 days. The suppressive effect of egg production seems to be secondary to hepatic injury. In the other experiment, xanthoascin, a purified mycotoxin of A. candidus, was given subcutaneously between 2 to 5 mg/g body weight. In all groups mortality was about 80%. Survivors produced no eggs 10 days following the injection. The liver of quails that died in 1 to 4 days showed focal necrosis, fine droplet fatty degeneration and bile thrombosis of bile ductules. The features are similar to those observed previously in mice and rats, but the quail is far more sensitive to injected xanthoascin than rodents.