Molecular Identification of Aspergillus flavus Using Inter Transcribed Spacers (ITS)

Infections caused by Aspergillus have grown in importance in the last decade. Outbreaks which are caused by Aspergillus flavus appeared to be related to the single or closely related fungal strains. The fungi produce a compound known as aflatoxin which is reputed to be the most toxic and powerful hepatocarcinogenic compound. Most of the recent studies are mainly based on, the most abundance species in the genus. However, A. flavus is the second major reason for invasive aspergillosis and direct infections in most part of the world especially tropical countries. This study is focused on the molecular identification of A. flavus. For this purpose, spores were collected from air sample. Molecular identification of the fungi was done by using universal primers ITS -1F and ITS-4R. Phylogenetic tree demonstrated that the fungal spores collected from the air lie in the clad with Aspergillus, indicating its close relationship with the group.