Recipient organisationUniversity of BirminghamSource-published name: The University of Birmingham
Funding£200K
PeriodMar 2025 — Mar 2027
In plain English
AI plain-English summary
Water samples from taps, wells, and rivers across Central and West Africa will be tested for toxic fungi and their poisons, which are well-known in food but largely unmeasured in drinking water. This matters because fungal toxins—specifically aflatoxins, fumonisins, and ochratoxins produced by *Fusarium*, *Aspergillus*, and *Penicillium*—can cause liver damage, cancer, and immune suppression. While these contaminants are routinely monitored in food, their presence in water supplies is almost unknown. With high demand for clean drinking and agricultural water across the region, the gap in knowledge is a real health risk. If successful, the project will deliver two concrete changes. First, it will establish standard detection methods—using NMR and electrochemical sensing—so water authorities can routinely identify these toxins. Second, it will produce new porous materials that capture and remove fungal contaminants more efficiently than current filters. These tools could be deployed by water treatment plants and distribution networks, quietly improving the safety of a resource most people take for granted. The project also builds technical capacity: researchers from the region will travel to UK labs for training, and workshops will target water professionals and policymakers to turn data into practice.
View original technical description
This project will enhance Central and West African capacity for detecting and removing fungal contaminants, ensuring safer drinking water for these communities. We will use our established Network to collect water samples across the region to (i) analyse them for fungi and their toxic compounds, and (ii) develop better detection and decontamination methods for these contaminants. Fungal contamination in drinking water is gaining global attention and is a key concern within our Network. Toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins, toxic compounds produced by fungi, are well-documented in food, but there are limited data on their prevalence in water. With high demand for clean drinking and agricultural waters, there is a pressing need to investigate toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins in water across Central and West Africa. This project focuses on fungi identified by experts within the Network including Fusarium, Aspergillus, and Penicillium, and their mycotoxins: aflatoxins, fumonisins, and ochratoxins. We will identify/quantify these using standard methods in the Network and benchmark improvements using advanced techniques such as NMR and electrochemical sensing via UK collaborators. We will develop technical capacity in the region, and new porous materials for more efficient detection and removal of these contaminants from drinking water. Knowledge gained will target scientists in water quality and materials development, water treatment and distribution professionals, and policymakers, to improve policy and practice. We will conduct workshops and networking activities to build on our successful Network model, including sending researchers and materials to the UK to foster future collaborations and maximize knowledge transfer and training.
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