A Proposed Model to Control Aflatoxin Formation

Aflatoxin B1 is a mycctoxin and potent carcinogen. It is produced by certain strains of Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus which contaminate many important agricultural commodities, including corn and peanuts, both in the field and under storage conditions. While many strains of these fungal species produce aflatoxin when secondary metabolism is triggered, some strains do not, suggesting that this secondary metabolite may be subject to genetic regulation. Based on this assumption, we have developed an experimental design to detect, isolate and introduce such regulatory elements into all cells of aflatoxin-secreting species. With this strategy both field and storage facilities are subject to control, since the experimental design allows for aflatoxin suppression to spread throughout the population by means of an infectious element. Vegetative incompatibility between strains, which could block somatic transfer requiring hyphal fusion and cytoplasmic exchange, is factored into the research plan.