It's now clear that a poisonous strain of the fungus _Aspergillus
flavus_, known as the "S" strain, is to blame for causing 125
food-related deaths in Kenya in 2004, according to research by an
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) plant pathologist and his
colleagues.

The fungus, which produces invisible toxins that are
known to be carcinogenic, had contaminated portions of the country's
maize crop. This is the 3rd time since 1981 that the so-called
"Kenyan death fungus" has tainted the African nation's primary food
staple with deadly levels of poisons.

Peter Cotty, an ARS scientist based in the Department of Plant
Sciences at the University of Arizona in Tucson, and Claudia Probst,
of the University of Arizona, worked with Henry Njapau of the Food
and Drug Administration in College Park, MD, to investigate which
Aspergillus strain was the culprit. Cotty is administratively part of
the ARS Southern Regional Research Center in New Orleans, LA.

The scientists' findings, reported in the current issue of _Applied
and Environmental Microbiology_, will be critical to researchers who
are trying to devise methods for preventing future cases of fungal
poisoning, or aflatoxicosis, in African maize. Aflatoxins are natural
poisons produced by certain fungi that belong to the genus
Aspergillus. Health consequences related to consuming
aflatoxin-contaminated foods include impaired growth, cancer and death.

These toxins can contaminate an array of crops including corn,
cottonseed, peanuts and tree nuts. To ensure public safety, many
countries, including the United States, have established maximum
allowable levels for aflatoxin in farm products. Unfortunately, these
standards do little to reduce the ingestion of locally grown,
fungus-infested crops in small rural communities in Africa.

Through a special permit, the researchers were able to obtain samples
of contaminated maize from affected Kenyan villages. After grinding
the corn, they isolated the fungi and grew them in culture.
Surprisingly, they found the "S" strain of _A. flavus_, a potent
aflatoxin producer not previously known in Africa, to be the most
prevalent source of toxins in the maize.
 
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