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Molecular identification of aflatoxigenic Aspergillus species in dried nuts and grains collected from Tehran, Iran

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A Correction to this article was published on 19 October 2021

This article has been updated

Abstract

Introduction

Agricultural commodities contaminated by molds and mycotoxins can be considered as public health problems in less developed countries, particularly in Iran. Hence the main purpose of this study was to identify mold fungi and molecular analysis of the most important species of aflatoxin-B1-producing Aspergillus species in some dried nuts and grains in local markets in Tehran.

Materials and methods

Two hundred fifty samples of wheat, rice, corn, pistachios, and peanuts were collected from the five different locations of Tehran between January 2018 and January 2019. The samples were analyzed by using direct seed inoculation method and grain crushing method. Fungal strains were identified as Aspergillus spp. on the basis of morphological characters and further confirmed by using of β-tubulin gene sequencing. To differentiate between aflatoxigenic and non-aflatoxigenic Aspergillus spp., the isolates were screened for the presence of aflatoxigenic genes (nor-1, ver-1, omtA, and aflR).

Results

One-handed forty-eight aflatoxigenic Aspergillus isolates (144 A. flavus and 4 A. parasiticus) were identified and aflR gene was the most frequent gene in these species. Five isolates (4 A. flavus, 1 A. parasiticus) had quadruplet pattern, 64 isolates (63 A. flavus, 1 A. parasiticus) had more than 1 gene and 39 isolates (38 A. flavus,1 A. parasiticus) did not have any genes.

Conclusion

According to the contamination of dried nuts and grains by some aflatoxigenic fungi, an extensive surveillance is necessary to provide a wider view on these products. Moreover, effective and efficient aflatoxin control program requires identifying and managing key elements that are effective in reducing mycotoxin production at farm level or in storage conditions.

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Acknowledgements

This study was part of a M.S. thesis supported by Tehran University of Medical Sciences (grant No. 9411399003). We are grateful to the colleagues of Molecular Biology Laboratory of Medical Mycology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (Mohammad Reza Safari and Azar Berahmeh) for their assistance in conducting this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathobiology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Arash Rahimi & Mohammad Mehdi Soltan Dallal

  2. Department of Mycology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

    Elahe Sasani

  3. Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Sassan Rezaie, Ali Ahmadi & Sadegh Khodavaisy

  4. Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Shahram Mahmoudi

  5. Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Islamic Azad University, Varamin-, Pishva, Iran

    Mansoureh Ghaffari

  6. Department of Parasitology and Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran

    Farzad Aala

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  1. Arash Rahimi
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  2. Elahe Sasani
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  9. Sadegh Khodavaisy
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Correspondence to Sadegh Khodavaisy.

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Rahimi, A., Sasani, E., Rezaie, S. et al. Molecular identification of aflatoxigenic Aspergillus species in dried nuts and grains collected from Tehran, Iran. J Environ Health Sci Engineer 19, 1795–1799 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40201-021-00734-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40201-021-00734-6

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