Aflatoxin-albumin adducts in human sera from different regions of the world.

An immunoassay now permits the determination of human exposure to aflatoxin at an individual level and consequently allows a better assessment of the role of aflatoxin, and its interaction with hepatitis B virus infection, in the aetiology of liver cancer. Measurements of aflatoxin bound to serum albumin in children and adults from various African countries show that between 12 and 100% contain aflatoxin-albumin adducts, with levels up to 350 pg AFB1-lysine equivalent/mg albumin. In Thailand, lower levels and prevalence of this adduct were observed, while no positive sera were detected from France or Poland. Data are presented showing that exposure to this carcinogen can occur throughout life and the relevance of these observations to the understanding of the multifactorial aetiology of liver cancer in these countries is discussed.