During the last three decades poultry production has made a tremendous progress. The improved layer population have exceeded a million during 1961 to 67 million in 1986, which resulted in increased egg production from 360 million to 1425 million. Similarly the broiler production have achieved tremendous increase from 4 millions 1971 to 95 millions during 1986. This transition of poultry farming from a backyard rearing to a large-scale intensive poultry rearing with investment running into millions of rupees is due to embarking upon large scale import of germplasm and technical know how. However, during recent years the growth is not as high as it was for many unknown diseases have been faced by the poultry. The recent years have shown that mycosis and mycotoxicosis have been assuming considerable impotance in aetiology of many unknown diseases in poultry. The fungi are ubiquitous in nature and there are frequent opportunities available in our Indian agro-climatci conditions for their growth during harvest and storage to elaborate their toxin. The problem of mycotoxicosis in the health of human and livestock has assumed a much importance, only after the outbreak of Turkey X disease during 1960. The heavy economic losses faced by the in poultry industry either by death of birds or by production losses is due to the feeding of mouldy feed. The mycotoxicosis is also responsible for bruising in broilers thus lowering the carcass value, immuno-suppressive effects. Increase in the requirement of certain nutrients leading to deficiency syndrome, and finally the toxic metablites are excreted through meat and eggs leading to human health hazards. The problem of moulds and mycotoxicosis in poultry is a worldwide phenomenon and to understand the magnitude of mycotoxicosis problem in poultry, its biochemical, mechanism of action effects on different organs and their prevention, the present summer institute/short course has been designed in the form of lectures from eminent persons in that area, practical demonstrations and field visits. The lectures have been designed to provide general information on mycotoxins, its effects on poultry, and its control.

Table of Contents:
The impact of aflatoxins of poultry industry; Progress towards biosynthetic rationale of aflatoxin pathways; Important lesser known toxic fungi in feed- An update; Ochratoxin A in Biological systems and its analysis; Genetic differnces for susceptibility of alfatoxins in Poultry; Trichothecenes and poultry diseases; Pathology of food-borne mycotoxin in poultry; Possibilities and limitations of diagnosis of mycotoxicosis; The influence of dietary protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and antibiotics on alfatoxicosis in poultry; Aflatoxin in feed stuffs and its effect on the performance of chicken, Quail and guiinea fowl; Effect of dietary alatoxin on the performance of comercial and broiler chicken; Mycotoxicosis of less common occurrence in chickne; Micotoxic nephropathy; Influence of mycotoxins in outbreaks of coccidiosis in poultry; Toxic synergism between aflatoxin and ochratoxin in poultry; Molecular aspects of aflatoxin B1 in Mutagenicity, teratogenicity and carcinogenicity; Histopathological and biochemical changes in ochratoxicosis in poultry (broilers and commercials); Aspergilosis infection and alfatoxicosis in poultry feed and its correlation with various disease problems in poultry farms; Alfatoxicosis and immunoresponse in poultry; Pathogeni mould in poultry diseases; Aflatoxicosis in poultry; Mycotoxins: An overview of their importance, prevention and control; Factors affecting toxin production by fungi and its control; The role of aflatoxin in Human health; Simple methods of aflatoxins detection; Fungal hepatitis in poultry: A note; Moulds and mycotoxins in poultry diseases; Studies on the effects of alfatoxin on antibody synthesis against rankikhet disease vacine in chicks; Note ont eh effects of aflatoxin ont eh testis in poultry; Studies on phagocyteic activity and haematological changes in aflatoxicosis in poultry; Effect of dietary aflatoxin on the development of immunity against newcastle disease virus in chicken;Nutrition mycotoxicosis and its control; Pathology of food-Borne mycotoxins in poultry; Mycotoxins and poultry health hazards in India; Mycotoxicosis and its control; Effects of aflatoxin on immune response in viral disease; Handling mycotoxin contaminated feedstuff; An overview of mycotoxicosis;