Rice Weevil ( L.) Gut Bacteria Inhibit Growth of and Degrade Aflatoxin B1.

In this study, bacteria residing in the gut of the rice weevils ( L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) feeding on aflatoxin-contaminated corn kernels were isolated and evaluated for their ability to suppress and to remove/degrade aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). Four morphologically distinct gut-associated bacterial isolates were isolated and identified as (RWGB1), (RWGB2), (RWGB3), and (RWGB4) based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis.