Characterization of Ugandan Endemic Aspergillus Species and Identification of Non-Aflatoxigenic Isolates for Potential Biocontrol of Aflatoxins
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Date
2022
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Toxins
Abstract
Acute stunting in children, liver cancer, and death often occur due to human exposure to
aflatoxins in food. The severity of aflatoxin contamination depends on the type of Aspergillus fungus
infecting the crops. In this study, Aspergillus species were isolated from households’ staple foods
and were characterized for different aflatoxin chemotypes. The non-aflatoxigenic chemotypes were
evaluated for their ability to reduce aflatoxin levels produced by aflatoxigenic A. flavus strains on
maize grains. Aspergillus flavus (63%), A. tamarii (14%), and A. niger (23%) were the main species
present. The A. flavus species included isolates that predominantly produced aflatoxins B1 and B2,
with most isolates producing a high amount (>20 ug/ L) of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), and a marginal
proportion of them also producing G aflatoxins with a higher level of aflatoxin G1 (AFG1) than
AFB1. Some non-aflatoxigenic A. tamarii demonstrated a strong ability to reduce the level of AFB1 by
more than 95% when co-inoculated with aflatoxigenic A. flavus. Therefore, field evaluation of both
non-aflatoxigenic A. flavus and A. tamarii would be an important step toward developing biocontrol
agents for mitigating field contamination of crops with aflatoxins in Uganda.
Description
Keywords
Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus tamarii, Aflatoxin B1
Citation
Wokorach, G.; Landschoot, S.; Lakot, A.; Karyeija, S.A.; Audenaert, K.; Echodu, R.; Haesaert, G. Characterization of Ugandan Endemic Aspergillus Species and Identification of Non-Aflatoxigenic Isolates for Potential Biocontrol of Aflatoxins. Toxins 2022, 14, 304. https://doi.org/10.3390/ toxins14050304