Evaluation Of Some Aspergillus Mycotoxins In Patients With Bronchitis In Al-Najaf City

This research aimed to establish whether the Aspergillus species identified from bronchitis patients were mycotoxigenic or non-mycotoxigenic fungi in sputum and serum samples. A total sample of 170 subjects with ages ranging from 15 to 72 years— were obtained from Al-Najaf Province (Al-Sadr Medical City) between December 2023 and April 2024, divided into patient (n=176) and healthy groups (n=34). The Aspergillus genera isolated were cultured on coconut agar medium and screened under UV light (360 nm); each sputum and serum sample was also tested using the ELISA technique. All Aspergillus strains exhibited blue fluorescence on Coconut Cream Agar (CCA) media under UV light, confirming positivity. The study identified production of aflatoxins B1 and ochratoxins-A in sputum and serum samples among both patients with bronchitis and control groups. The results showed a significant difference in patient groups by samples (P≤ 0.05) while the healthy groups showed a non-significant (P>0.05) difference. Most Aspergillus spp. Isolated from bronchitis patients were found to produce aflatoxin B1 and ochratoxin-A on coconut agar medium— mycotoxins extracts included sputum (about 68.4% for aflatoxins-B1 and 41.7% for serum samples) and sputum (about 77.6% for ochratoxin-A and 91.7% for serum samples) taken from bronchitis patients, which were identified using ELISA technique.