Chemical Induction of Mutation or Variation In Aflatoxin-Producing Cultures of Aspergillus Flavus

SUMMARY– The mutation or variation of a strain of Aspergillus flavus was induced chemically after six successive "generations" of exposures to barium ions. Colony isolates of A. flavus , developing from spores harvested from cultures grown in barium medium, were examined for mutation on the basis of morphology, loss of aflatoxin-producing capacity, and loss of ability to grow in basal medium. The new characteristics exhibited by the mutant of A. flavus are the inability to produce aflatoxins and yellow pigment, accompanied by the loss of fluorescence in the culture under ultraviolet light. These changes did not revert after more than eight successive transfers in a barium-free medium. Mutagenic action of barium ions on the fungus A. flavus was shown by the mutatation of colonies arising from single spores, The characteristics of the mutant are permanent and irreversible.