Aspergillus texensis: A Novel Aflatoxin Producer with S Morphology from the United States

Singh, Pummi; Orbach, Marc J.; Cotty, Peter J.

doi:10.3390/toxins10120513

Cited by 32 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…Identification and characterization of aflatoxin-producing fungi requires a polyphasic approach to fully confirm their taxonomic status [9,10]. Morphological characterization of isolated fungi is achieved by analyzing fungal attributes such as colony color and conidia morphology while distinction of fungal groups is further achieved through chemical analysis for presence of mycotoxin production.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further, high contamination levels in agricultural commodities hinder trading at the international level [8]. Aflatoxins are a group of secondary fungal metabolites primarily produced by fungi belonging to Aspergillus section Flavi [9,10]. When ingested through consumption of contaminated food and feed, these metabolites pose serious health risks to both humans and animals [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because of these health risks, various countries and health organizations have set maximum exposure limits [12]. Several members of section Flavi produce aflatoxins but A. flavus is commonly associated with aflatoxin contamination of feed and food worldwide [9][10][11][13][14][15]. A. flavus is predominantly a saprophytic fungus residing in the soil and colonizes various environments with rich sources of carbon and nitrogen [16,17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Variation in Occurrence and Aflatoxigenicity of Aspergillus flavus from Two Climatically Varied Regions in Kenya

Monda

Masanga

Alakonya

2020

Toxins

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Aflatoxins are carcinogenic chemical metabolites produced by Aspergillus spp. of the section Flavi. In Kenya, Aspergillus flavus is the most prevalent and has been associated with several acute and chronic aflatoxin outbreaks in the past. In this study, we evaluated the occurrence of A. flavus in soils from two agro-ecological regions with contrasting climatic conditions, aflatoxin contamination histories and cropping systems. Aspergillus spp. were first isolated from soils before the identification and determination of their aflatoxigenicity. Further, we determined the occurrence of Pseudomonas and Bacillus spp. in soils from the two regions. These bacterial species have long been associated with biological control of several plant pathogens including Aspergillus spp. Our results show that A. flavus occurred widely and produced comparatively higher total aflatoxin levels in all (100%) study sites from the eastern to the western regions of Kenya. For the western region, A. flavus was detected in 4 locations (66.7%) that were previously under maize cultivation with the isolates showing low aflatoxigenicity. A. flavus was not isolated from soils under sugarcane cultivation. Distribution of the two bacterial species varied across the regions but we detected a weak relationship between occurrence of bacterial species and A. flavus. We discuss these findings in the context of the influence of climate, microbial profiles, cropping systems and applicability in the deployment of biological control remedies against aflatoxin contamination.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Variation in Occurrence and Aflatoxigenicity of Aspergillus flavus from Two Climatically Varied Regions in Kenya

Monda

Masanga

Alakonya

2020

Toxins

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“…Each treatment was replicated three times. At the end of the incubation period, maize-fungal cultures were ground in 50 mL, 85% acetone, in a Blender (Seven-Speed laboratory blender, Waring Laboratory, Torrington, CT, USA) at full speed for 30 s. Aflatoxins were extracted and quantified as previously reported [ 59 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phenotypic Differentiation of Two Morphologically Similar Aflatoxin-Producing Fungi from West Africa

Singh

Mehl

Orbach

et al. 2020

Toxins

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Aflatoxins (AF) are hepatocarcinogenic metabolites produced by several Aspergillus species. Crop infection by these species results in aflatoxin contamination of cereals, nuts, and spices. Etiology of aflatoxin contamination is complicated by mixed infections of multiple species with similar morphology and aflatoxin profiles. The current study investigates variation in aflatoxin production between two morphologically similar species that co-exist in West Africa, A. aflatoxiformans and A. minisclerotigenes. Consistent distinctions in aflatoxin production during liquid fermentation were discovered between these species. The two species produced similar concentrations of AFB1 in defined media with either urea or ammonium as the sole nitrogen source. However, production of both AFB1 and AFG1 were inhibited (p < 0.001) for A. aflatoxiformans in a yeast extract medium with sucrose. Although production of AFG1 by both species was similar in urea, A. minisclerotigenes produced greater concentrations of AFG1 in ammonium (p = 0.039). Based on these differences, a reliable and convenient assay for differentiating the two species was designed. This assay will be useful for identifying specific etiologic agents of aflatoxin contamination episodes in West Africa and other regions where the two species are sympatric, especially when phylogenetic analyses based on multiple gene segments are not practical.

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“…However, several additional and often newly delimited species (A. aflatoxiformans, A. arachidicola, A. austwickii, A. cerealis, A. minisclerotigenes, A. mottae, A. pipericola, and A. texensis) have been characterized by S-type sclerotia. Earlier reports on S-type A. flavus may have referred to any of these species, including those that produce both aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and aflatoxin G1 (AFG1) (so-called SBG strains) (Singh et al, 2018;Frisvad et al, 2019).…”

Section: Sterigmatocystin/aflatoxinsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Aspergilli and Their Mycotoxins: Metabolic Interactions With Plants and the Soil Biota

et al. 2020

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Species of the highly diverse fungal genus Aspergillus are well-known agricultural pests, and, most importantly, producers of various mycotoxins threatening food safety worldwide. Mycotoxins are studied predominantly from the perspectives of human and livestock health. Meanwhile, their roles are far less known in nature. However, to understand the factors behind mycotoxin production, the roles of the toxins of Aspergilli must be understood from a complex ecological perspective, taking mold-plant, mold-microbe, and mold-animal interactions into account. The Aspergilli may switch between saprophytic and pathogenic lifestyles, and the production of secondary metabolites, such as mycotoxins, may vary according to these fungal ways of life. Recent studies highlighted the complex ecological network of soil microbiotas determining the niches that Aspergilli can fill in. Interactions with the soil microbiota and soil macro-organisms determine the role of secondary metabolite production to a great extent. While, upon infection of plants, metabolic communication including fungal secondary metabolites like aflatoxins, gliotoxin, patulin, cyclopiazonic acid, and ochratoxin, influences the fate of both the invader and the host. In this review, the role of mycotoxin producing Aspergillus species and their interactions in the ecosystem are discussed. We intend to highlight the complexity of the roles of the main toxic secondary metabolites as well as their fate in natural environments and agriculture, a field that still has important knowledge gaps.

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Aspergillus texensis: A Novel Aflatoxin Producer with S Morphology from the United States

Cited by 32 publications

References 68 publications

Variation in Occurrence and Aflatoxigenicity of Aspergillus flavus from Two Climatically Varied Regions in Kenya

Variation in Occurrence and Aflatoxigenicity of Aspergillus flavus from Two Climatically Varied Regions in Kenya

Phenotypic Differentiation of Two Morphologically Similar Aflatoxin-Producing Fungi from West Africa

The Aspergilli and Their Mycotoxins: Metabolic Interactions With Plants and the Soil Biota

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