Health implications of toxigenic fungi found in two Nigerian staples: guinea corn and rice

Abstract

A total of one hundred and forty eight fungi isolated from both guinea corn (67) and rice (81) in a previous fungal
and mycotoxin survey in Niger State, Nigeria, were tested for toxicity potential in white albino mice. Of all these,
64.2% were found to produce toxic metabolites that were lethal to mice and were mainly species of Aspergillus spp,
Fusarium spp, Penicillium spp and Trichoderma spp. Others include Syncephalastrum spp, Alternaria spp, Phoma
spp, Curvularia lunata, Colletotrichum spp, Geotrichum candidum and Helminthosporium spp, Cladosporium
werneckil, and Mucor spp and the bacteria Cryptococcus neoformis. The novel, most toxigenic fungi found
contaminating these two staples were Fusarium verticillioides (Sacc.) Nirenberg, previously known as F.moniliforme
Sheldon (CABI Biosciences is IMI 392668).The extract of the fungus caused lethality to mice at 40 mg /kg b. wt. The
health implications of these toxic microbes in our diets were discussed.