Association between anaemia and aflatoxin B and fumonisin B exposure in HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected pregnant women from Harare, Zimbabwe.

Aflatoxin B (AFB) and fumonisin B (FB) are poisons that contaminate poorly stored staple foods in resource-limited settings. Antenatal AFB and FB exposure may cause anaemia. We aimed to determine the associations of urinary aflatoxin M (AFM) and FB, biomarkers of AFB and FB exposure, respectively, with erythrocyte parameters and anaemia.

Biomonitoring and determinants of mycotoxin exposures from pregnancy until post-lactation in HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected women from Harare, Zimbabwe.

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) heavily affects women from resource-limited settings who are vulnerable to potentially harmful mycotoxins including aflatoxin B (AFB1), fumonisin B (FB1) and ochratoxin A (OTA). We aimed to conduct biomonitoring and ascertain the determinants of maternal mycotoxin exposure in pregnancy, lactation and post-lactation periods. We conducted a retrospective longitudinal study in HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected women from Harare, Zimbabwe.

Natural postharvest aflatoxin occurrence in food legumes in the smallholder farming sector of Zimbabwe.

Aflatoxins, mainly produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, are highly toxic and may lead to health problems such as liver cancer. Exposure to aflatoxins may result from ingestion of contaminated foods. Levels of AFB, AFB, AFG and AFG in samples of groundnuts (Arachis hypogaea), beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata) and bambara nuts (Vigna subterranean) grown by smallholder farmers in Shamva and Makoni districts, Zimbabwe, were determined at harvesting, using high performance liquid chromatography after immunoaffinity clean-up.