Fungus Genus Alternaria: Toxicity, Taxonomy, and Distribution

The aim of the study is to review modern publications by Russian and foreign scientists on microscopic fungi of the genus Alternaria. Tasks: selection and analysis of literature data using databases Google academy, Elabrary, Sciencedirect, PubMed, etc., devoted to microscopic fungi Alternaria sp. In total, more than 60 works of Russian and foreign scientists were analyzed. Alternaria is a ubiquitous fungus that includes endophytic, phytopathogenic and saprophytic genera. The genus Alternaria contains more than 360 species that cause diseases in important food crops and produce a wide range of secondary toxic metabolites, including alternariotoxins (alternariol, alternariol monomethyl ether, altenuen, tentoxin, and tenuazonic acid). The presented material discusses the taxonomy and distribution of fungi of the genus Alternaria, and presents their morphological and cultural properties. The article highlights the potential threat of Alternaria fungi to agricultural crops. These fungi primarily infect leaves, but they can also infect seeds and fruits. Some species of Alternaria spp. that parasitize weeds are considered as bioherbicides. The article also explores the toxicity and prevalence of metabolites produced by fungi of the genus Alternaria. Most metabolites of the Alternaria genus are chemically xanthols, anthraquinone pigments, cyclic pentapeptides, and unsaturated acids. The metabolites of fungi of the genus Alternaria, alternariatoxins, are unregulated in the Russian Federation and exhibit cytotoxicity and genotoxicity. Alternaria mycotoxins (especially tenuazonic acid and alternariol) are often found in food and agricultural products, which poses a great danger to human and animal health. Modern physical and chemical methods for identifying alternariatoxins are presented.