ARS | Publication request: Three novel species of Aspergillus section Nigri from indoor air

Submitted to: IMA Fungus
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: November 23, 2012
Publication Date: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Mold from the group called black aspergilli include species that are used to produce food additives, species that cause allergic asthma in some people, and species that rot foods and commodities. During a survey of indoor air we found three previously unknown species of black aspergilli, and we provide names and descriptions for those species. We also found that species previously thought to be restricted to the Mediteranean basin or part of the South Pacific area are also present in the United States. None of the newly discovered molds make ochratoxin-A, a toxin believed to cause kidney disease when eaten. Information about new species and where they grow will be of use to environmental testing companies, food technologists, and academic microbiologists.

Technical Abstract: Aspergillus collinsii, Aspergillus floridensis, and Aspergillus trinidadensis are described as novel uniseriate species of Aspergillus section Nigri isolated from air samples. To describe the species we used phenotypes from 7-d Czapek yeast extract agar culture (CYA) and malt extract agar culture (MEA), with support by molecular analysis of the ß-tubulin, calmodulin, RNA polymerase II (RPB2), and translation elongation factor-alpha (TEF) gene amplified and sequenced from 55 air isolates belonging to Aspergillus section Nigri. A. floridensis is closely related to A. aculeatus, and A. collinsii and A. trinidadensis are closely related to A. aculeatinus. A. fijiensis and A. uvarum are reported for the first time from the USA and for the first time from the indoor air environment. None of the newly described species produce ochratoxin A.