title: Brazil nuts are subject to infection with B and G aflatoxin-producing fungus, Aspergillus pseudonomius.
abstract: The exploitation of the Brazil nut is one of the most important activities of the extractive communities of the Amazon rainforest. However, its commercialization can be affected by the presence of aflatoxins produced by fungi, namely Aspergillus section Flavi. In the present study, we investigated a collection of Aspergillus nomius strains isolated from Brazil nuts using different approaches, including morphological characters, RAPD and AFLP profiles, partial β-tubulin and calmodulin nucleotide sequences, aflatoxin patterns, as well as tolerance to low water activity in cultured media. Results showed that most of the isolates do belong to A. nomius species, but a few were re-identified as Aspergillus pseudonomius, a very recently described species. The results of the analyses of molecular variance, as well as the high pairwise FST values between A. nomius and A. pseudonomius suggested the isolation between these two species and the inexistence of gene flow. Fixed interspecific nucleotide polymorphisms at β-tubulin and calmodulin loci are presented. All A. pseudonomius strains analyzed produced aflatoxins AFB1, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2. This study contains the first-ever report on the occurrence in Brazil nuts of A. pseudonomius. The G-type aflatoxins and the mycotoxin tenuazonic acid are reported here for the first time in A. pseudonomius.
authors: Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, P.O. Box 6001, Londrina 86051-990, Brazil. Electronic address: fernanda_pm87@hotmail.com.
authors: Fernanda Pelisson
authors: FP
authors: Massi
authors: Departamento de Genética, Escola Superior de Agricultura "Luiz de Queiroz" USP, P.O. Box 83, Piracicaba 13400-970, Brazil. Electronic address: mlcvieir@usp.br.
authors: Maria Lúcia Carneiro
authors: ML
authors: Vieira
authors: Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, P.O. Box 6001, Londrina 86051-990, Brazil. Electronic address: danibiosart@gmail.com.
authors: Daniele
authors: D
authors: Sartori
authors: Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, P.O. Box 6001, Londrina 86051-990, Brazil. Electronic address: rafael.penhaes@gmail.com.
authors: Rafael Elias Silva
authors: RE
authors: Penha
authors: Departamento de Genética, Escola Superior de Agricultura "Luiz de Queiroz" USP, P.O. Box 83, Piracicaba 13400-970, Brazil. Electronic address: carlamunhozbio@gmail.com.
authors: Carla
authors: C
authors: de Freitas Munhoz
authors: Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, P.O. Box 6001, Londrina 86051-990, Brazil. Electronic address: josuemf@uel.br.
authors: Josué Maldonado
authors: JM
authors: Ferreira
authors: Instituto de Tecnologia de Alimentos, P.O. Box 139, Campinas 13070-178, Brazil. Electronic address: beatriz@ital.sp.gov.br.
authors: Beatriz Thie
authors: BT
authors: Iamanaka
authors: Instituto de Tecnologia de Alimentos, P.O. Box 139, Campinas 13070-178, Brazil. Electronic address: marta@ital.gov.br.
authors: Marta Hiromi
authors: MH
authors: Taniwaki
authors: Department of Systems Biology, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark. Electronic address: jcf@bio.dtu.dk.
authors: Jens C
authors: JC
authors: Frisvad
authors: Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, P.O. Box 6001, Londrina 86051-990, Brazil. Electronic address: mariafungaro@gmail.com.
authors: Maria Helena Pelegrinelli
authors: MH
authors: Fungaro
mesh_terms: D000348:Aflatoxins / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001230:Aspergillus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D031383:Bertholletia / Q000382:microbiology*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D014644:Genetic Variation; D013720:Tenuazonic Acid / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000348:Aflatoxins; D013720:Tenuazonic Acid
keywords: Aflatoxin production; Aspergillus nomius; Aspergillus pseudonomius; Aspergillus section Flavi; Brazil nut