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| Aspergillus flavus | ||||||||||||||
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 Aspergillus flavus
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| Aspergillus flavus Johann Heinrich Friedrich |
Aspergillus flavus is a mold fungus. It is a pathogen, associated with aspergillosis of the lungs and sometimes believed to cause corneal, otomycotic, and nasoorbital infections. It is believed to be allergenic and sometimes causes losses in silkworm hatcheries.
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Disease in humans
A. flavus is the second most common isolate of aspergillosis, the first being Aspergillus fumigatus. Aspergillus invades arteries of the lung or brain and causes infarction. Neutropenia predisposes to aspergillus infection.
Culture and histology
A. flavus grows a yellow mold in culture. Aspergillus species can be distinguised by the appearance of their conidia, or "fruiting head." A. flavus exhibits vesicles which are entirely covered by conidia, while the conidia of A. fumigatus cover only half of the fruiting head.
Mold damage
A. flavus is particularly common on corn and peanuts, as well as water damaged carpets, and is one of several species of mold known to produce aflatoxin which can cause acute hepatitis, immunosuppression, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The absence of any regulation of screening for the fungus in countries which also have a high prevalence of viral hepatitis highly increases the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma.
References
External links
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