Aspergillus section Flavi were detected in all 57 soil samples collected from various agroecological zones of maize and peanut growing areas in Kenya. This widespread distribution and prevalence conforms to previous findings of similar studies in Israel, Thailand, North America and West Africa [19, 28, 35]. Several members of the section Flavi including A. niger, A. fumigatus, A. clavatus, A. ochraceus, A. terreus and A. versicolor have been shown to be major mycotoxin-producing contaminants in various agricultural produce in Kenya. Our study supports a high incidence of Aspergillus section Flavi with A. flavus being the most predominant (63.2 %), A. flavus could indeed be linked to B1 aflatoxicosis contamination that has been shown to be prevalent as was determined by Probst et al. [9]. Members of A. parasiticus were less prevalent but nevertheless produced high concentrations of both B and G aflatoxins (Tables 3, 4). They, therefore, contributed significantly to the aflatoxicosis potential of resident fungal communities, a situation similar to that observed in West Africa by Donner et al. [28]. While all species produced B aflatoxin in different quantities, only A. parasiticus produced G aflatoxins among all groups studied in Kenya.
The negative correlation of pH and proportions of L strains could be an indication of the poorer adaptation of these strains to higher pH optima compared to the S strains. However, the adaptations of the two strains is not mutually exclusive as each of the two strains occur in different proportions within all the pH ranges observed. In addition, the range of soil pH variation across the examined regions was narrow, ranging from weak acidic to weak alkaline. The higher incidence of S strains in more alkaline soils has previously been observed in North American soils among isolates of A. parasiticus,
A. tamarii and A. flavus [24]. However, in Nigeria [28], a negative correlation was observed. The effect of pH has been shown to play a lesser role in A. flavus population dynamics, with climate being cited as a more important determinant [35]. Therefore, other shared factors within the study areas such as temperature maxima of 40 °C, average humidity, semi aridity and transitional savannah ecosystems provide a range of biophysical conditions conducive for elevated levels of aflatoxin-producing fungi.
The aflatoxin-producing potential of Aspergillus communities is higher when S strain is present, as L strain isolates produce on average only 33 % of the toxin yield from S strain isolates [24]. In West Africa, S strain isolates produce greater quantities of aflatoxins than L strain isolates. This corroborates the finding of this study, in which the S strains produced the highest concentration of aflatoxins in Kenya. All the isolates of A. flavus (both L and S strains) did not produce the G aflatoxins but produced the B toxins. The percentage of A. flavus L-strain isolates that produced aflatoxins varied with geography and climate (Fig. 3).
Aflatoxin-producing fungi vary widely in many characteristics, including virulence for crops and aflatoxin-producing capacity [33]. Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus are most commonly implicated as causal agents of aflatoxin contamination. Aspergillus flavus has two morphotypes, the typical or L strain (sclerotia of >400 µm in diameter) and the S strain (sclerotia of <400 µm in diameter) [33, 36]. S-strain isolates produce more aflatoxins than L-strain isolates, on average. Many L-strain isolates produce no aflatoxins (“atoxigenic”) [24].
All members of A. flavus lack the ability to synthesize G aflatoxins due to a 0.8–1.5 kb deletion in the 28-gene aflatoxin biosynthesis cluster [18]. In contrast to cases in the United States, studies conducted in West Africa found out that an unnamed taxon (sometimes called strain SBG) is commonly implicated in contamination events [5]. Strain SBG is morphologically similar to the S strain of A. flavus, but DNA-based phylogenies reveal strain SBG to be a distinct species ancestral to both A. flavus and A. parasiticus [37, 38].
Aflatoxin levels unacceptable for human consumption may occur even in areas with relatively low frequencies of aflatoxin producers. In the current study, 59.3 % of aflatoxin-producing L-strain isolates produced more than 10 × 105 ng g−1 (14.3 ppb) aflatoxin B1. This combined with high incidences allows the L-strain to be the largest contributor to the average aflatoxin-producing ability of fungal communities in the five districts (Fig. 1; Table 4) and a potentially important causal agent of contamination in Kenya. Similar results were observed in Nigeria [28]. This is in contrast, with earlier studies conducted in Kenya where the S-strain was observed to be the primary cause of maize aflatoxin contamination [9]. The current study shows that S-strain is present in low frequency or absent in certain sites.
Incidences of atoxigenic strains of section Flavi varied widely among districts and agroecological zones (Table 1). The non-aflatoxin-producing strains are common in crop environments [21, 23, 24]. The atoxigenic strains of A. flavus and/or A. parasiticus have been employed as biopesticides directed at minimizing crop contamination with aflatoxins [4, 39]. Successful and effective biocontrol strategies necessitates that high ratios of atoxigenic to toxigenic strains be exhibited [40]. In the current study, high incidences of atoxigenic strains of section Flavi members were found in Kibwezi and Makueni districts both in lower midland zones (LM3, LM4 and LM5). These native populations provide potential biological control agents to manage the toxigenic strains.
Aflatoxin contamination of crops can be minimized by early harvest, prevention of insect damage and proper storage [41]. However, despite the careful management, unacceptable aflatoxin levels may occur from unpreventable insect damage to the developing crop or from exposure of the mature crop to moisture either prior to harvest or during storage in modules, handling, transportation or even use [33].
For many diseases, traditional chemical control methods are neither always economical nor are they effective, and fumigation as well as other chemical control methods may have unwanted health, safety and environmental risks in Kenya and many other developing countries. The antifungal abilities of some beneficial microbes have been known since the 1930s, and there have been extensive efforts to use them for plant disease control since then. However, they are only now being used commercially [33].
Aflatoxins cannot be readily removed from contaminated foods by detoxification. Therefore, there is interest in developing a biological control method that can increase crop safety by decreasing toxin content and this depends on the competitive displacement of toxigenic isolates using atoxigenic isolates of the same species. It has also been reported that aflatoxin production is inhibited by lactic acid bacteria, Bacillus subtilis and many moulds. This inhibition may result from many factors including competition for space and nutrients. In general, competition for nutrients required for aflatoxin production but not for growth and production of anti-aflatoxigenic metabolites by co-existing micro-organisms [42].
Currently, atoxigenic A. flavus L-strain isolates are used to competitively exclude aflatoxin producers during crop infection and thereby limit contamination in U.S. agriculture [4]. Such atoxigenic strains are highly effective against the S strain [4]. Adaptation and deployment of similar technologies in Africa could provide a promising strategy for prevention of future aflatoxicoses in East Africa while enhancing export possibilities for maize and peanuts [43].
Aspergillus section Flavi was resident in all sampled maize fields and quantities of section Flavi were higher on average in Kenya and compares to the ones in West Africa [35]. The incidences of the section Flavi in Kenyan soils demonstrates the fungal growth on crop-associated with organic matter. Corncobs, peanut pods and other crop debris harbor section Flavi for at least 3 years after harvest [44].
This study has reported high level of atoxigenic species of Aspergillus section Flavi. In vitro analysis showed that there is a growth competition between atoxigenic and toxigenic spp of Aspergillus section Flavi. The existing methods of biological control of aflatoxicosis by use of the atoxigenic strains can therefore be tested and adapted to Kenyan agriculture. The study has also established that the production of aflatoxins by these species depends on the prevailing physiological conditions such as temperature and moisture. Poor management practices such as poor storage, late harvesting, among others are predisposing conditions for the proliferation of the fungi, so there is need for education on the best practices so as to minimize on contamination. Furthermore, morphological analysis of Aspergillus section Flavi is limited with mechanisms of getting the true identity of the fungal species. There is need to adopt rapid and sensitive molecular techniques to support the morphological identifications. Finally, there is need to screen all the farm produce for possible aflatoxin contamination to reduce economic burdens related to the menace. We, therefore, hope this study will be taken into consideration by regulatory authorities in Kenya and beyond.