Detection of Aflatoxigenic and Atoxigenic Mexican Aspergillus Strains by the Dichlorvos–Ammonia (DV–AM) Method

The dichlorvos–ammonia (DV–AM) method is a sensitive method for distinguishing aflatoxigenic fungi by detecting red (positive) colonies. In this study, the DV–AM method was applied for the isolation of aflatoxigenic and atoxigenic fungi from soil samples from a maize field in Mexico. In the first screening, we obtained two isolates from two soil subsamples of 20 independent samples and, in the second screening, we obtained two isolates from one subsample of these. Morphological and phylogenic analyses of the two isolates (MEX-A19-13, MEX-A19-2(nd)-5) indicated that they were Aspergillus flavus located in the A. flavus clade. Chemical analyses demonstrated that one isolate could produce B-type aflatoxins, while the other produced no aflatoxins. These results demonstrate that the DV–AM method is useful for the isolation of both aflatoxigenic and atoxigenic Aspergilli.