Frequency of chromosome aberrations in bone marrow of monkeys and their F1 after aflatoxin B1 injection.

A mutagenic effect of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in somatic cells of primates is investigated. It is shown that AFB1 elevated the frequency of chromosome aberrations in the bone marrow of two species of monkeys: Macaca mulatta and Papio hamadryas. Beside chromosome aberrations, genome mutations were found in these experimental primates. AFB1-induced chromosome aberrations were constantly revealed during two years of study. Increase in the frequency of chromosome aberrations could be demonstrated in Macaca babies born from females that had received AFB1 at the final stage of pregnancy.