Characterization and differentiation of aflatoxigenic species of Aspergillus section Flavi by MALDI-TOF MS
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abstract
Aspergillus is a large genus, with a complex taxonomy. The genus is easily
identifiedd by its characteristic conidiophore, but species identification and
differentiation is complex, mainly because it is traditionally based on a range
of morphological features. Aspergillus subgenus Circumdati section Flavi,
also refered to as the A.dflavus group, has attracted worldwide attention for
its industrial use and toxigenic potential. Sectiond Flavi is divided in two
groups of species. One includes the aflatoxigenic species A. flavus, A. parasiticus
and A. nomius, which cause serious problems in agricultural commodities,
and the other one includes the non-aflatoxigenic species A. oryzae,
A. sojae and A.dtamarii, traditionally used for production of fermented foods.
Species from A. flavus group are morphologically and genetically very similar,
and are therefore difficult to differentiate by both cultural and molecular
methods. Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time-of-Flight
(MALDI-TOF) Massd Spectrometry has already shown high potentialities in
discriminating very closely related taxa. This work intended to discriminate
30 strains, which were previously classifieddas A. flavus group by morphological methods, using MALDI-TOF MS. These results are compared with
those previously obtained by conventional methods.
