Along the Texas-Mexico border, the prevalence of neural tube defects (NTDs) among Mexican-American women doubled during 1990-1991. The human outbreak began during the same crop year as epizootics attributed to exposure to fumonisin, a mycotoxin that often contaminates corn. Because Mexican Americans in Texas consume large quantities of corn, primarily in the form of tortillas, they may be expos...

Fumonisins are a group of naturally occurring mycotoxins produced by the fungus Fusarium verticillioides (previously moniliforme). Fumonisin B1 (FB1), is the most common toxin produced. Fumonisins alter sphingolipid biosynthesis, induce hepatotoxicity, and elevate serum cholesterol concentration in all species studied including pigs, calves, lambs, mice, rats, mink, and broiler chicks. A major ...

ABSTRACT Fumonisin is a group of homologous mycotoxins produced by several species of Fusarium. Fumonisin has been associated with Fusarium ear and kernel rot of corn (Zea mays) and several toxicoses of animals and humans. Corn inbreds with a high level of resistance to fumonisin production and accumulation in grain have not been identified. The objective of this study was to evaluate a genetic...

Mycotoxin contamination of maize (Zea mays L.) grain is a global threat to the safety of both human food and animal feed. Hence, the development of maize genotypes with reduced mycotoxin accumulation in grain is of major importance. In order to find maize germplasm sources of resistance to Fusarium ear rot, 34 Italian and six public inbred lines were evaluated by means of artificial inoculation...

The effects of micro doses dietary fumonisin, a metabolite Fusarium verticillioides, on spermatogenesis, gonadal sperm reserves and fertility rabbits were studied. Relative paired testis weight; production rate storage potential not adversely affected in which exposed to varied minute levels fumonisin about 153-161 µg/kg body weight/day over period 8 weeks. toxin also failed exert any influence...

Fumonisin toxicosis in swine was named porcine pulmonary edema (PPE) after outbreaks of a fatal disease in pigs fed Fusarium verticillioides (F. moniliforme)-contaminated corn screenings from the 1989 corn crop in Iowa, Illinois, and Georgia. Pigs that died had severe pulmonary edema, which has not been identified in other species after exposure to fumonisins. The disease has been reproduced ex...

This paper is a study of the stability of fumonisins in dough based on maize flour prepared in a phosphate buffer with a pH of 3.5, 5.5 or 7.5 and baked at a temperature within the range of 100-250 °C. Buffers with various pH values were tested, since it is well-known that pH may significantly influence interactions of fumonisins with other substances. A standard analytical procedure was used t...

Fumonisins represent a family of toxic, structurally related metabolites produced by fungi that are found in corn worldwide. We investigated the effects of the mycotoxin, fumonisin B(1), on rat splenic macrophage and lymphocyte functions. Pretreatment (24 h) of resident macrophages with fumonisin B(1) (1, 10, and 100 microg/ml) significantly (p<0.01) stimulated nitric oxide production (0.48, 2....

Fumonisins are mycotoxins produced by Fusarium verticillioides and F. proliferatum, fungi that are ubiquitous in corn (maize). Insect damage and some other environmental conditions result in the accumulation of fumonisins in corn-based products worldwide. Current methods of fumonisin detection rely on the use of immunoaffinity columns and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The use o...

Maize kernel samples were collected in 1996 from smallholder farm storages in the districts of Bomet, Bungoma, Kakamega, Kericho, Kisii, Nandi, Siaya, Trans Nzoia, and Vihiga in the tropical highlands of western Kenya. Two-thirds of the samples were good-quality maize, and one-third were poor-quality maize with a high incidence of visibly diseased kernels. One hundred fifty-three maize samples ...