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Molecular Diagnosis of Ochratoxigenic Fungi

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Molecular Identification of Fungi

Abstract

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is one of the most abundant food-contaminating mycotoxins. Its presence in several agricultural commodities has been considered a problem worldwide. This toxin is mainly produced by two genera of fungi: Aspergillus and Penicillium. Ochratoxin A has nephrotoxic, immunosuppressive, and carcinogenic effects; consequently, contamination with OTA presents a major risk for human and animal health. Over the last 5 years, several studies have developed PCR-based assays for identifying and quantifying OTA-producing fungi in food samples. The main objective of these assays is to allow the detection of microorganisms capable of producing OTA, prior to ochratoxin production and accumulation. Several of these attempts will be reviewed and discussed in this chapter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, 6001, CEP, 86051-970, Londrina-Paraná, Brazil

    Daniele Sartori, Marta Hiromi Taniwaki, Beatriz Iamanaka & Maria Helena Pelegrinelli Fungaro

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  1. Daniele Sartori
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  2. Marta Hiromi Taniwaki
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  3. Beatriz Iamanaka
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  4. Maria Helena Pelegrinelli Fungaro
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Correspondence to Maria Helena Pelegrinelli Fungaro .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fac. Science, Dept. Botany, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt

    Youssuf Gherbawy

  2. School of Biology and Pharmacy, Institute of Microbiology, University of Jena, Neugasse 24, Jena, 07743, Germany

    Kerstin Voigt

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Sartori, D., Taniwaki, M.H., Iamanaka, B., Fungaro, M.H.P. (2010). Molecular Diagnosis of Ochratoxigenic Fungi. In: Gherbawy, Y., Voigt, K. (eds) Molecular Identification of Fungi. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-05042-8_10

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