Metabiotic Association of Fusarium, Alternaria, and Rhizoctonia with Clostridium botulinum in Fresh Tomatoes

摘要

ABSTRACTClostridium sporogenesandC. botulinumgrew, and toxin was produced byC. botulinumin a metabiotic relationship with fungi in fresh tomatoes. Fungi of the generaAlternaria, RhizoctoniaandFusariumwere studied. Infection of tomatoes with the fungi increased the pH of tomato tissues as high as pH 8.0. A gradient in pH across the tomato tissue was observed with pH in healthy tissue at approximately normal values (pH 4.3 to pH 4.5). Macerates from tomatoes inoculated withC. botulinumandAlternariaorFusariumwere toxic to mice butRhizoctoniainfected tomatoes did not tend to support toxin production byC. botulinumeven though the pH of infected tomatoes was pH 5.3 to 7.6.