Sixty samples of corn from both conventional and organic farms were tested for internal fungal contamination. Molds were identified to genus, and those belonging to the genus Fusarium were identified to species. Twenty isolates of Fusarium verticillioides were tested with a high-performance liquid chromatography-naphthalene dicarboxaldehyde-fluorescence method for their ability to produce fumon...

Fumonisins are mycotoxins of world-wide distribution in maize infected by the fungus Fusarium verticillioides. They are highly toxic to certain livestock and are potential carcinogens. Exophiala spinifera, a black yeast fungus found on moldy maize kernels, was identified previously as capable of growing on fumonisin B1 as a sole carbon source and thus is a potential source for fumonisin detoxif...

In the present review, the quantitative impact of dietary aflatoxin, deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisin concentrations on performance of pigs and broilers is evaluated, with special emphasis on low concentrations of these toxins. Also, responses in performance of pigs and broilers to these three toxins are related to their absorption and elimination kinetics. By applying simple linear regressio...

We review the hepatocarcinogenic effects of fungal cultures of Fusarium verticillioides(= Fusarium moniliforme) strain MRC 826 in male BD IX rats. Subsequent chemical analyses of the fumonisin B (FB) mycotoxin content in the culture material used and long-term carcinogenesis studies with purified FB1 provide information about dose-response effects, relevance of hepatotoxicity during FB1-induced...

The secondary metabolite gene clusters of euascomycete fungi are among the largest known clusters of functionally related genes in eukaryotes. Most of these clusters are species specific or genus specific, and little is known about how they are formed during evolution. We used a comparative genomics approach to study the evolutionary origins of a secondary metabolite cluster that synthesizes a ...

Fumonisins are polyketide-derived mycotoxins produced by Fusarium verticillioides, a fungal pathogen of corn plants. Although a gene cluster for the biosynthesis of fumonisins has been cloned, the biosynthetic pathway is still not clear. We have used three gene-disrupted mutants, designated DeltaFUM1, DeltaFUM6, and DeltaFUM8, to study the early steps of the pathway. Fumonisins were not produce...

The aim of this study was to evaluate fungi and contamination levels of aflatoxin B(1), ochratoxin A, fumonisin B(1), and zearalenone in raw materials and finished feed intended for sows at different reproductive stages. Total fungi, Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Fusarium species occurrence, were examined. Aspergillus flavus, A. niger aggregate spp., and F. verticillioides were the prevalent sp...

The filamentous fungus Fusarium verticillioides can cause disease of maize and is capable of producing fumonisins, a family of toxic secondary metabolites linked to esophageal cancer and neural tube defects in humans and lung edema in swine and leukoencephalomalacia in equines. The expression of fumonisin biosynthetic genes is influenced by broad-domain transcription factors (global regulators)...