ABSTRACT
Background: Aflatoxins [AFs] are secondary hazardous fungal metabolites that are produced by strains of some Aspergillus species on food and feedstuffs. Aflatoxin B[1] [AFB[1]] is one of the most important AF with high toxicity. Prevention of AF production and their elimination from food products is a matter of importance for many researchers in the last decades. Nanomaterials applications in medical science have been widely studied in the recent years. Most of existing researches seek the effect of nanoparticles on bacteria, fungi, and viruses. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of silver nanoparticles [AgNPs] on growth and AFB[1] production of AF-producing Aspergillus parasiticus
Methods: A parasiticus was inoculated [10[6] conidia per ml of medium] to potato dextrose broth [PDB] medium and then AgNPs was added and incubated with shaking at 130 rpm and 28[degree]C for 7 days. AF was assayed by high performance liquid chromatography [HPLC]. Microbiological assay [MBA] on microplates contained potato dextrose broth [PDB] medium [4 days at 28[degree]C] at different concentrations of AgNPs [60, 80, 100, 120, 140, 160, 180 and 200 [micro]g/ml] was measured
Results: The results demonstrated that a minimum inhibition concentration [MIC] equal to 180 [micro]g/ml was determined for AgNPs against A. parasiticus. The AgNPs effectively inhibited AFB[1] production at a concentration of 90 [micro]g/ml
Conclusion: The results obtained in this study show AgNPs at concentrations lower than the MIC drastically inhibited production of AFB[1] by A. parasiticus in culture medium. The AgNPs may be useful to control AF contamination of susceptible crops in the field
ABSTRACT
Environmental fungi, molds and yeasts, can infest the nasal cavity through inhaled air. There is some evidence that they could be the main cause of Chronic Rhinosinusitis [CRS] but little is known about the normal fungal flora in the human nose. The objective of this study was to assess the normal fungal flora of the nasal mucus in adults in Kerman. We conducted a cross sectional study. Nasal swabs were used to sample the nasal cavity of 100 adults, 46 men and 54 women between 17 and 60 years old, currently living in Kerman, Iran. Among 100 healthy people, one or more types of fungi were detected in 31 [31%] persons; Candida in 12 persons, Aspergillus in 8 persons, Streptomyces in 8 persons, and Penicillium, Nocardia and Mucor in a few persons. In only 4 persons, more than one type of fungi was detected. There was no significant relation between age, sex, education or smoking with the presence of fungi. Fungi have been considered one of the causative agents of CRS and differences in climatic conditions can influence the fungi flora