Alternaria species and their associated mycotoxins

PATRIARCA, A; FERNÁNDEZ PINTO, VIRGINIA

Mycotoxigenic Fungi. Methods and protocol

Springer

Año: 2017; p. 13 - 32

The genus Alternaria includes more than 250 species. The traditional methods for identifi cation ofAlternaria species are based on morphological characteristics of the reproductive structures and sporulationpatterns under controlled culture conditions. Cladistics analyses of ?housekeeping genes? commonlyused for other genera, failed to discriminate among the small-spored Alternaria species. The developmentof molecular methods achieving a better agreement with morphological differences is still needed. Theproduction of secondary metabolites has also been used as a means of classifi cation and identifi cation.Alternaria spp. can produce a wide variety of toxic metabolites. These metabolites belong principally tothree different structural groups: (1) the dibenzopyrone derivatives, alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethylether (AME), and altenuene (ALT); (2) the perylene derivative altertoxins (ATX-I, ATX-II, andATX II); and (3) the tetramic acid derivative, tenuazonic acid (TeA). TeA, AOH, AME, ALT, and ATX-Iare the main. Certain species in the genus Alternaria produce host-specifi c toxins (HSTs) that contributeto their pathogenicity and virulence. Alternaria species are plant pathogens that cause spoilage of agriculturalcommodities with consequent mycotoxin accumulation and economic losses. Vegetable foodsinfected by Alternaria rot could introduce high amounts of these toxins to the human diet. More investigationson the toxic potential of these toxins and their hazard for human consumption are needed to makea reliable risk assessment of dietary exposure.