Kachapulula Paul W, Akello Juliet, Bandyopadhyay Ranajit, Cotty Peter J
School of Plant Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; School of Agricultural Sciences, University of Zambia, P.O Box 32379, Lusaka, Zambia.
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Lusaka, Zambia.
Int J Food Microbiol. 2017 Nov 16;261:49-56. doi: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2017.08.014. Epub 2017 Aug 19.
Aflatoxins are cancer-causing, immuno-suppressive mycotoxins that frequently contaminate important staples in Zambia including maize and groundnut. Several species within Aspergillus section Flavi have been implicated as causal agents of aflatoxin contamination in Africa. However, Aspergillus populations associated with aflatoxin contamination in Zambia have not been adequately detailed. Most of Zambia's arable land is non-cultivated and Aspergillus communities in crops may originate in non-cultivated soil. However, relationships between Aspergillus populations on crops and those resident in non-cultivated soils have not been explored. Because characterization of similar fungal populations outside of Zambia have resulted in strategies to prevent aflatoxins, the current study sought to improve understanding of fungal communities in cultivated and non-cultivated soils and in crops. Crops (n=412) and soils from cultivated (n=160) and non-cultivated land (n=60) were assayed for Aspergillus section Flavi from 2012 to 2016. The L-strain morphotype of Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus were dominant on maize and groundnut (60% and 42% of Aspergillus section Flavi, respectively). Incidences of A. flavus L-morphotype were negatively correlated with aflatoxin in groundnut (log y=2.4990935-0.09966x, R=0.79, P=0.001) but not in maize. Incidences of A. parasiticus partially explained groundnut aflatoxin concentrations in all agroecologies and maize aflatoxin in agroecology III (log y=0.1956034+0.510379x, R=0.57, P<0.001) supporting A. parasiticus as the dominant etiologic agent of aflatoxin contamination in Zambia. Communities in both non-cultivated and cultivated soils were dominated by A. parasiticus (69% and 58%, respectively). Aspergillus parasiticus from cultivated and non-cultivated land produced statistically similar concentrations of aflatoxins. Aflatoxin-producers causing contamination of crops in Zambia may be native and, originate from non-cultivated areas, and not be introduced with non-native crops such as maize and groundnut. Non-cultivated land may be an important reservoir from which aflatoxin-producers are repeatedly introduced to cultivated areas. The potential of atoxigenic members of the A. flavus-L morphotype for management of aflatoxin in Zambia is also suggested. Characterization of the causal agents of aflatoxin contamination in agroecologies across Zambia gives support for modifying fungal community structure to reduce the aflatoxin-producing potential.
黄曲霉毒素是致癌且具有免疫抑制作用的霉菌毒素,经常污染赞比亚的重要主食作物,包括玉米和花生。黄曲霉群中的几个物种被认为是非洲黄曲霉毒素污染的致病因素。然而,赞比亚与黄曲霉毒素污染相关的曲霉种群尚未得到充分详细的研究。赞比亚大部分可耕地未被开垦,作物中的曲霉群落可能起源于未开垦的土壤。然而,作物上的曲霉种群与未开垦土壤中曲霉种群之间的关系尚未得到探索。由于对赞比亚以外类似真菌种群的特征描述已产生了预防黄曲霉毒素的策略,因此本研究旨在增进对耕种土壤、未耕种土壤及作物中真菌群落的了解。在2012年至2016年期间,对412份作物样本以及来自耕地(160份)和未耕地(60份)的土壤样本进行了黄曲霉群检测。黄曲霉和寄生曲霉的L型菌株形态在玉米和花生上占主导地位(分别占黄曲霉群的60%和42%)。黄曲霉L型菌株的发生率与花生中的黄曲霉毒素呈负相关(log y = 2.4990935 - 0.09966x,R = 0.79,P = 0.001),但与玉米中的黄曲霉毒素无此相关性。寄生曲霉的发生率部分解释了所有农业生态区花生中的黄曲霉毒素浓度以及农业生态区III中玉米的黄曲霉毒素浓度(log y = 0.1956034 + 0.510379x,R = 0.57,P < 0.001),这支持寄生曲霉是赞比亚黄曲霉毒素污染的主要致病因素。未耕种土壤和耕种土壤中的群落均以寄生曲霉为主(分别占69%和58%)。来自耕种土地和未耕种土地的寄生曲霉产生的黄曲霉毒素浓度在统计学上相似。在赞比亚导致作物污染的黄曲霉毒素产生菌可能是本地的,起源于未开垦地区,而非随着玉米和花生等非本地作物引入。未开垦土地可能是一个重要的源头,黄曲霉毒素产生菌由此反复被引入耕种地区。研究还表明黄曲霉L型菌株的产毒不活跃成员在赞比亚黄曲霉毒素管理方面具有潜力。对赞比亚各农业生态区黄曲霉毒素污染致病因素的特征描述为改变真菌群落结构以降低黄曲霉毒素产生潜力提供了支持。