Pseudomonas chlororaphis strain JP1015 and P. fluorescens strain JP2175 were previously isolated from Mississippi cornfield soil samples and selected for their growth inhibition of Aspergillus flavus in laboratory culture. In this study, the antifungal activity of these bacterial strains against A. flavus in soil coculture was determined. Growth of A. flavus was inhibited up to 100-fold by P. c...

Aspergillus flavus is one of the most common contaminants that produces aflatoxins in foodstuffs. It is also a human allergen and a pathogen of animals and plants. Aspergillus flavus is included in the Aspergillus section Flavi that comprises 11 closely related species producing different profiles of secondary metabolites. A six-step strategy has been developed that allows identification of nin...

A method was developed for simultaneous quantitation of Aspergillus flavus/A. parasiticus and aflatoxins in peanuts. Peanut samples were ground with an equal weight of water in a vertical cutter mixer to produce a slurry. Separate subsamples were taken for dilution-plating to determine total colony forming units (CFU)/g of A. flavus/A. parasiticus and for liquid chromatographic analysis to dete...

In some filamentous fungi, the pathways related to the oxidative stress and oxylipins production are involved both in the process of host-recognition and in the pathogenic phase. In fact, recent studies have shown that the production of oxylipins in filamentous fungi, yeasts and chromists is also related to the development of the organism itself and to mechanisms of communication with the host ...

The Aspergillus genus belongs to a filamentous fungal group characterized by wide dispersion in the environment. Some species are associated with diseases, especially in immunocompromised patients, while others are of economical importance due to aflatoxin production or biotechnological applications. Its species identification is nowadays performed by traditional techniques combined with molecu...

Cottonseed storage lipids (primarily triglycerides), in either crude or refined form, were found to support growth and aflatoxin B(1) production by Aspergillus flavus. When lipids were removed from ground whole cottonseed by petroleum ether extraction, aflatoxin production dropped by more than 800-fold. Reconstitution of the lipid-extracted ground whole seed with a crude preparation of cottonse...

We characterize the mating-type genes in Aspergillus flavus,Aspergillus parasiticus and Petromyces alliaceus. A single MAT1-1 or MAT1-2 gene was detected in the genomes of A. flavus and A. parasiticus, which is consistent with a potential heterothallic organization of MAT genes in these species. In contrast, the only known, functionally homothallic species in Aspergillus section Flavi, P. allia...

Cinnamaldehyde (CA) is marginally soluble in water, making it challenging to evenly disperse it in foods, and resulting in lowered anti-A. flavus efficacy. In the present study, nano-dispersed CA (nano-CA) was prepared to increase its aqueous solubility. Free and nano-dispersed CA were compared in terms of their inhibitory activity against fungal growth and aflatoxin production of A. flavus bot...

Fungal communities in soils of Nigerian maize fields were examined to determine distributions of aflatoxin-producing fungi and to identify endemic atoxigenic strains of potential value as biological control agents for limiting aflatoxin contamination in West African crops. Over 1000 isolates belonging to Aspergillus section Flavi were collected from soil of 55 Nigerian maize fields located in t...