MEASUREMENT OF ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITIES OF T-2-TOXIN, DEOXYNIVALENOL,OCHRATOXIN-A, AFLATOXIN-B-1 AND FUMONISIN-B-1 USING MICROTITRATION TRAY-BASED TURBIDIMETRIC TECHNIQUES

Various mycotoxins were tested for their antibacterial activity by eva luating growth delays using a fully automated microturbidmetric method . Ten different strains of the genera Escherichia, Streptococcus, Stap hylococcus, Yersinia, Salmonella, Erysipelothrix and Lactobacillus wer e used as test micro-organisms. T-2 toxin, deoxynivalenol (DON), ochra toxin A (OTA), aflatoxin B-1 (AFB(1)) and fumonisin B-1 (FB1) were use d as representative mycotoxins. The inhibitory effect in vitro was def ined as the difference between the growth rate without mycotoxins and the growth rate in the presence of a mycotoxin. Among the tested strai ns, Streptococcus agalactiae was found to be sensitive to all the toxi ns, with the exception of OTA. T-2 toxin and FB1 were the most effecti ve in slowing down the growth of Staphylococcus aureus AFB(1) affected the growth of Yersinia enterocolitica. The growth rate of Escherichia coli and Salmonella infantis was decreased by FB1. Among the bacteria l strains used in this study, only the growth of Erysipelothrix rhusio pathiae was inhibited by OTA. Thus, using appropriate tester strains i t should be possible to set up a broad-range microtubidimetry assay fo r individual mycotoxin screening in vitro. We concluded that the micro titration technique provides a rapid, convenient and high-throughput c apacity system to analyse bacteria-mycotoxin interactions.