The fish bacterium Vibrio gazogenes effectively cuts the production of a toxin by the fungus Aspergillus flavus, which affects oilseed crops including maize, peanut and cottonseed, causing huge damage worldwide.
In research led by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), bacterial treatment of the fungus using V. gazogenes resulted in statistically-significant reductions in production of aflatoxin – a carcinogen which can result in serious health conditions in humans when infected crops are consumed.
Through genetic sequencing, the scientists revealed that the bacterium’s effectiveness appears to be due to it reducing the expression of genes linked to aflatoxin production. It also showed a similar effect on genes associated with two other toxins – cyclopiazonic acid and aflavarin – produced by the pathogen.
The continued work offers hope of an aquatic solution to a serious terrestrial problem, but the underlining mechanisms driving these genetic effects have yet to be determined. This will be explored in further work.
Risks associated with aflatoxin contamination of food are high, stressed the authors of the research, noting that an estimated 4.5billion people are at risk of exposure, while 25% of global food crops are destroyed each year due to this contamination.
You can read the full study in the journal PhytoFrontiers.
