This Article Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 09-011v1 09-011v2 101/3/423    most recent Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Horn, B. Articles by Carbone, I. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Horn, B. Articles by Carbone, I. Agricola Articles by Horn, B. Articles by Carbone, I.

Sexual reproduction in <I>Aspergillus flavus</I>

     ¹ ARS, USDA, Dawson, GA, 39842-0509, United States of America
² North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
³ Dept of Plant Pathology, North Carolina Univ, Box 7567 - Partners II Bldg, Raleigh, NC, 27695-7567, United States

<I>Aspergillus flavus</I> is the major producer of carcinogenic aflatoxins in crops worldwide and is also an important opportunistic human pathogen in aspergillosis. The sexual state of this heterothallic fungus is described from crosses between strains of the opposite mating type. Sexual reproduction occurred between sexually compatible strains belonging to different vegetative compatibility groups. Multiple, indehiscent ascocarps containing asci and ascospores formed within the pseudoparenchymatous matrix of stromata, which places the fungus in the genus <I>Petromyces</I>. The teleomorph of <I>P. flavus</I> could not be distinguished from that of <I>P. parasiticus</I> (anamorph = <I>A. parasiticus</I>), another aflatoxin-producing species, based on morphology of the sexual structures. The two species can be separated by anamorph morphology, mycotoxin profile and molecular characters.

Key words: aflatoxin, Aspergillus parasiticus, heterothallism, Petromyces flavus, Petromyces parasiticus, Trichocomaceae

This article has been cited by other articles:

				G. Butler Fungal Sex and Pathogenesis Clin. Microbiol. Rev., January 1, 2010; 23(1): 140 - 159. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]