nivalenol and moniliformin

Wheat is often infected by Fusarium species producing mycotoxins, which may pose health risks to humans and animals. Deoxynivalenol (DON) is the most important Fusarium toxin in Swedish wheat and has previously been shown to be produced mainly by Fusarium graminearum. However, less is known about the co-occurrence of DON and F. graminearum with other toxins and Fusarium species in Sweden. This study examined the distribution of the most important toxigenic Fusarium species and their toxins in winter wheat (2009 and 2011) and spring wheat (2010 and 2011). DNA from seven species was quantified with qPCR and the toxin levels were quantified with a multitoxin analysis method based on liquid chromatography/electrospray ionisation-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/ESI-MS/MS). The method enabled detection of many fungal metabolites, including DON, zearalenone (ZEA), nivalenol (NIV), T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxins, moniliformin (MON), beauvericin (BEA), and enniatins (ENNs). It was found that Fusarium poae and Fusarium avenaceum were present in almost all samples. Other common Fusarium species were F. graminearum and F. culmorum, present in more than 70% of samples. Several species occurred at lower DNA levels in 2011 than in other years, but the reverse was true for F. graminearum and Fusarium langsethiae. The most prevalent toxins were ENNs, present in 100% of samples. DON was also common, especially in spring wheat, whereas ZEA and NIV were common in 2009 and in winter wheat, but less common in 2011 and in spring wheat. Only three samples of spring wheat contained T-2 or HT-2 above LOQ. Annual mean levels of several mycotoxins were significantly lower in 2011 than in other years, but the reverse applied for DON. The strongest correlations between mycotoxin and Fusarium DNA levels were found between F. avenaceum and ENNs (r(2) = 0.67) and MON (r(2) = 0.62), and F. graminearum and DON (r(2) = 0.74). These results show that several Fusarium species and toxins co-occur in wheat. The highest toxin levels were detected in spring wheat and DON and ENNs, the latter belonging to the group of so called "emerging toxins", which were the most prevalent toxins and those occurring at the highest levels.

Topics: Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Cyclobutanes; Depsipeptides; DNA, Fungal; Food Contamination; Fusarium; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Sweden; T-2 Toxin; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Trichothecenes; Triticum; Zearalenone

Fusarium moulds frequently contaminate oats and other cereals world-wide, including those grown in Northern Europe. To investigate the presence of toxigenic Fusarium species and their toxins in oats, samples were taken during 2010 and 2011 in three geographical regions of Sweden (east, west, south). The samples were analysed by real-time PCR for the specific infection level of seven Fusarium species associated with oats and other cereals (Fusarium poae, Fusarium graminearum, Fusarium langsethiae, Fusarium culmorum, Fusarium tricinctum, Fusarium sporotrichioides and Fusarium avenaceum) and with a multi-mycotoxin method based on liquid chromatography/electrospray ionisation-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/ESI-MS/MS) for the detection of many fungal metabolites, including deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZEA), nivalenol (NIV), T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxins, moniliformin (MON), beauvericin (BEA) and enniatins (ENNs). Most samples contained at least four of the seven Fusarium species analysed and F. poae, F. langsethiae and F. avenaceum were present in approximately 90-100% of all samples. The most common toxins detected were DON, NIV, BEA and ENNs, which were present in more than 90% of samples. Most Fusarium species and their toxins occurred in higher concentrations in 2010 than in 2011, with the exception of DON and its main producer F. graminearum. Significant regional differences were detected for some moulds and mycotoxins, with higher levels of F. graminearum, DON and ZEA in western Sweden than in the east (P<0.05) and higher levels of F. tricinctum and MON in the south (P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed significant correlations between many Fusarium species and toxin levels. For example, F. tricinctum was significantly correlated to F. avenaceum (r = 0.72, P<0.001), DON to ZEA (r = 0.52, P<0.001), DON to F. graminearum (r = 0.77, P<0.001) and the sum of T-2 and HT-2 to F. langsethiae (r = 0.77, P<0.001). The multi-toxin approach employed allowed simultaneous detection of many Fusarium mycotoxins in each sample. In combination with real-time PCR analysis of seven toxigenic Fusarium spp., the results gave an overall picture of the presence of Fusarium and their toxins in Swedish oats and revealed significant annual and regional differences. This is the first study of the so-called emerging mycotoxins (e.g., ENNs, MON and BEA) in oats grown in Sweden.

Topics: Avena; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Cyclobutanes; Depsipeptides; DNA, Fungal; Edible Grain; Food Contamination; Fusarium; Geography; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Sweden; T-2 Toxin; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Trichothecenes; Zearalenone

Crop rotations with putative non-host crops such as sugar beet are often recommended to reduce Fusarium head blight (FHB) in cereals. However, recent observations have shown pathogenic, endophytic, and saprotrophic colonization of sugar beet with various Fusarium spp. Therefore, strains of seven species frequently isolated from sugar beet were tested for pathogenicity on wheat. Species-specific symptoms on heads and kernels were evaluated and the grains were analyzed for 20 mycotoxins with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Fusarium graminearum, F. culmorum, and F. cerealis from sugar beet caused typical FHB symptoms and mycotoxin contamination with deoxynivalenol and nivalenol, while a high incidence of black point was observed in heads inoculated with F. tricinctum or F. equiseti. Black point kernels revealed 3.4 to 14.5 times higher mycotoxin concentrations than symptomless grains, containing enniatin B1 at 38,000 μg/kg, moniliformin at 4,900 μg/kg, and 2-amino-14,16-dimethyloctadecan-3-ol at 5,500 μg/kg, as well as monoacetoxyscirpenol at 2,600 μg/kg and nivalenol at 3,800 μg/kg. Monitoring of these latter two species in the field is hampered by the lack of typical head symptoms after infection. In further experiments, the impact of sugar beet residues on FHB severity and the correlation between mycotoxin contamination of cereal lots and the amount of black point have to be evaluated.

Topics: Beta vulgaris; Cyclobutanes; Depsipeptides; Edible Grain; Fusarium; Mycotoxins; Plant Diseases; Plant Leaves; Plant Roots; Species Specificity; Sphingolipids; Trichothecenes; Triticum

In South-Eastern region of Poland (near Lublin), where frequency of scab (fusariosis) is much higher than in other parts of the country, during harvest of 1993 kernels of 25 winter wheat cultivars were collected. On the basis of morphological studies Fusarium graminearum was found in 42% of investigated samples while other fungi appeared less frequently: F. nivale and F. poae (35%), F. avenaceum (31%) and F. culmorum (12%). Chemical analysis (by HPLC) revealed that the tested cultivars were contaminated with deoxynivalenol (96% of investigated samples), its acetyl derivatives (48%), nivalenol (76%) and moniliformin (28%). The average levels of the metabolite concentrations were as follows: 104; 16; 97; and 63 micrograms/kg, respectively. Co-occurrence of 2 toxic metabolites was found in the following percentage of the positive samples: deoxynivalenol and nivalenol (72%), deoxynivalenol and moniliformin, as well as nivalenol and moniliformin (24%). Usually (71-83% of contaminated samples) mycotoxins were accumulated in the concentration range > or = 10, < 100 micrograms/kg.

Topics: Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Cyclobutanes; Food Contamination; Food Microbiology; Fusarium; Humans; Mycoses; Mycotoxins; Poland; T-2 Toxin; Trichothecenes; Triticum

Ten samples of stored wheat grain and 10 samples of settled grain dust released during machine threshing of wheat grain were collected on 10 farms located in Lublin province (eastern Poland). The samples were examined for the concentration of total microfungi, Fusarium species, fusariotoxins (moniliformin, deoxynivalenol, nivalenol), and ochratoxin. Microfungi able to grow on malt agar were present in 30% of grain samples (median for all examined samples = 0, range 0-227.5 x 10(3) cfu/g) and in all samples of grain dust (median = 977.5 x 10(3) cfu/g, range 115.0-16,700.0 x 10(3) cfu/g). Fusarium species (F. avenaceum) were found only in 10% of grain samples (median = 0, range 0-800.0 x 10(3) cfu/g), but in 90% of grain dust samples (median = 1,150 x 10(3) cfu/g, range 5.5-10,060.0 x 10(3) cfu/g). The species F. avenaceum, F. culmorum, F. graminearum, F. poae and F. sporotrichioides were isolated respectively from 50%, 10%, 20%, 40% and 20% of examined grain dust samples. The presence of the mycotoxins produced by Fusarium (moniliformin, deoxynivalenol, and nivalenol) was found altogether in 70% of wheat grain samples (median = 0.1275 microg/g, range 0-1.480 microg/g) and in 90% of grain dust samples (median = 0.350 microg/g, range 0-1.090 microg/g). Moniliformin (MON), deoxynivalenol (DON), and nivalenol (NIV) were each detected in 40% of grain samples, and respectively in 80%, 40%, and 40% of grain dust samples. Ochratoxin A (OTA) was detected in 60% of grain samples and in 60% of grain dust samples (median in both cases was 0.0005 microg/g). The concentrations of F. poae (p<0.05) and of total Fusarium species (p<0.01) in grain samples, and the concentrations of F. culmorum and F. graminearum (p<0.05) in grain dust samples were significantly correlated with the concentration of deoxynivalenol. The concentrations of F. poae (p<0.05) and of total Fusarium species (p<0.01) in grain dust samples were significantly correlated with the concentration of total fusariotoxins. Moreover, the concentration of total Fusarium species in grain dust samples was significantly correlated with the concentration of nivalenol (p<0.05). In conclusion, the majority of samples of wheat grain and grain threshing dust collected on farms in eastern Poland contained notable quantities of fusaria and/or fusariotoxins. This fact poses a potential risk of mycotoxicoses to agricultural workers exposed to grain dust when handling wheat during threshing, unloading, shuffling, and other f

Topics: Agricultural Workers' Diseases; Air Microbiology; Colony Count, Microbial; Cyclobutanes; Dust; Food Contamination; Food Microbiology; Fungi; Fusarium; Humans; Mycoses; Mycotoxins; Occupational Exposure; Poland; Trichothecenes; Triticum

A shipment of South African corn (1989) exported to Taiwan, was analyzed for various ear-rot fungi and Fusarium mycotoxins. Two sets of samples, one from the points of origin in South Africa prior to shipment, and the other from the end-point distributors in Taiwan, were studied. Surface-sterilized kernels were plated onto two different agar media and the fungal colonies identified. High Performance Liquid Chromatography was used to analyze mycotoxin levels. The predominant ear-rot fungi, in decreasing order of isolation frequency, were Fusarium subglutinans, F. moniliforme, Diploidia maydis and F. graminearum. Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus were not isolated from samples prior to export, but a small number of A. flavus isolates were found after shipment. The predominant mycotoxins were fumonisins B1 (0-865 ng/g) and B2 (0-250 ng/g). Low levels of moniliformin (< or = 390 ng/g) were detected in some samples before shipment. Zearalenone (25 ng/g), and nivalenol (120 ng/g) were detected in two out of 32 samples taken in Taiwan. The samples contained no detectable levels of either aflatoxins (> 0.5 ng/g) or deoxynivalenol (> 100 ng/g) before or after shipment.

Topics: Aspergillus; Aspergillus flavus; Carcinogens, Environmental; Cyclobutanes; Food Contamination; Food Microbiology; Fumonisins; Fungi; Fusarium; Mycotoxins; South Africa; Taiwan; Trichothecenes; Zea mays; Zearalenone