Genetic Characterisation of Fungi Producing Aflatoxins B1, Isolated from Wheat Grains in Karbala Governorate

Abstract

Abstract The widespread spread of fungi is one of the most important problems facing us at the present time because of their widespread spread in nature, causing major economic losses to the food and feed industry and seriously threatening human health due to their toxins passing through the food chain. Aflatoxins are one of the most dangerous mycotoxins produced by fungi and commonly found in grains and animal feed due to their toxic, carcinogenic, teratogenic, and mutagenic effects on human and animal health. In this study, fungal isolates producing aflatoxins were isolated from grains in Karbala Governorate, Iraq, for the year 2024. The study’s findings demonstrated that various frequencies of fungal contamination were present in each wheat sample. At frequencies of 33.33%, 25.80%, 29.03%, and 11.82%, respectively, the fungus Aspergillus caespitosus, Fusarium equiseti, Alternaria alternate, and Talaromyces tiftonensis were isolated. The ammonia test and thin layer chromatography (TLC) revealed that all fungal isolates produced aflatoxin B1. They were then identified molecularly using polymerase chain reaction technology, and the nitrogenous base sequence was determined using the ITS4 and ITS5 primers. The sequences of the numerous bases were evaluated using the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool software (BLAST), which proved that the isolates belonged to species such as Aspergillus caespitosus, Fusarium equiseti, Alternaria alternate, and Talaromyces tiftonensis. Furthermore, comparing these sequences to the data available in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database revealed that the strains of the isolates in this investigation were (93% -100%) identical to global strains The strains under investigation were identified in the GenBank database by the sequence codes PP216644.1 for Aspergillus caespitosus, PP216655.1 for Fusarium equiseti, PP216658.1 for Alternaria alternate, and PP216657.1 for Talaromyces tiftonensis. For every isolate, a genetic tree was constructed.