Detection of Aflatoxin B۱-producing Aspergillus flavus strains from pistachio orchards soil in Iran by multiplex polymerase chain reaction method

Background and Purpose: The current study aimed to report a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay as a monitoring technique to differentiate aflatoxigenic from non-aflatoxigenic strains of Aspergillus flavus isolated from pistachio orchards soil.Materials and Methods: In total, ۲۵ A. flavus strains were isolated from soil samples of pistachio orchards. To test the strains for Aflatoxin B۱(AFB۱)-producing ability, thin-layer chromatography (TLC) was used and the amounts of AFB۱ were measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Multiplex PCR was used as a genome-based method to detect genes responsible for AFB۱ production by A. flavus and the results were analyzed in terms of speed and specificity of detection. A set of four primers was designed specifically for the omtA, omtB, ver-۱, and aflR genes which are commonly present in aflatoxin biosynthetic pathways.Results: The AFB۱ production by the A. flavus strains ranged from ۰ to ۳۲۱ ρg/μl. Four band patterns of the primer sets were observed only in AFB۱-producing A. flavus strains. Moreover, ۱۸ out of the ۲۵ strains showed all four bands belonging to omtA, omtB, ver-۱, and aflR, whereas ۷ strains did not display omtA, or aflR-related bands, in non-toxigenic and low toxin-producing A. flavus.Conclusion: The multiplex PCR is a supplementary strategy to current conventional mycotoxin analytical techniques, such as TLC and HPLC. It could be used as an efficient method to differentiate aflatoxigenic from non-aflatoxigenic strains of A. flavus. This achievement is crucial to minimize fungal contamination of food, feed, and agricultural commodities, thereby reducing the risk of subsequent aflatoxin consumption.

Keywords:

Aspergillus flavus , Aflatoxin B۱ , Multiplex-PCR , Pistachio orchards