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Abstract
Aspergillus flavus is a phytopathogenic fungus that produces toxic compounds, aflatoxins, in infected plant tissues which harm human and animal health. In this study, 57 food/feed products were collected from 9 locations in Aseer, KSA. A total of 93 isolates were recovered from the samples and were identified as Aspergillus spp. based on their cultural and microscopic characteristics. Six isolates (Af3, Af23, Af24, Af26, Af45 and Af48) were selected and confirmed as A. flavus using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), sequencing of ITS1-5.8s-ITS2 rDNA region and phylogenetic analyses. The six sequences were deposited in the GenBank under the accession numbers of KU561932, KU561934, KU561935, KU561936, KU561937 and KU561938, respectively. Random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD-PCR) of the six isolates using five primers (OPA-2, OPA-3, OPA-9, OPA-11 and OPA-15), produced polymorphic DNA bands of 12, 36, 25, 1 and 1, respectively. The band sizes ranged from 130 to 1600 bp, whereas no monomorphic bands were observed. The bio-control of the six selected A. flavus isolates using three locally isolated yeasts (Candida davisiana, Rhodotorula graminis and Exophiala dermatitidis) was assessed. On solid media, the three yeast strains inhibited all tested A. flavus isolates. The most effective yeast strain was R. graminis. In liquid media, both yeast strains C. davisiana and R. graminis inhibited the dry weights of the six A. flavus isolates. Bio-control approaches of A. flavus could help controlling the pathogen, ultimately, reduce the risk of aflatoxins in human and animal supplies and reduce the use of chemicals that affect the environment and health.
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Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.