Microbial Interactions with Mycotoxigenic Fungi and Mycotoxins

Mycotoxins such as aflatoxins, fumonisins, trichothecenes, and ochratoxins are contaminants of many agronomic crops worldwide, and cause both economic losses and health effects. The potential of antagonistic microorganisms to be developed into biological control agents has been investigated in several crop systems, as alternatives to chemical fungicides for control of mycotoxigenic fungi. Laboratory and greenhouse studies have identified a number of bacterial, yeast, and filamentous fungal isolates that reduce crop contamination of mycotoxigenic fungi, although investigations of field efficacy have been limited. These studies demonstrate that the diversity of ecological interactions between mycotoxigenic fungi and other resident microorganisms may provide tools for development of biocontrol methods to reduce mycotoxin contamination.