Toxicity and toxin production by Fusarium isolates from New Zealand

Sixty-two isolates of Fusarium were obtained from pasture grass and soil from various areas of New Zealand and identified as F. anthophilum, F. avenaceum, F. crookwellense, F. culmorum, F. graminearum, F. nivale, F. oxysporum, F. sambucinum, F. semitectum, F. tricinctum and an unidentified Fusarium spp. These isolates were grown on autoclaved rice and tested for toxicity to rats in feeding tests. Eighty two percent of the isolates were toxic, of which twenty-four percent were severely toxic and caused hemorrhages of stomach and intestine, hematuria, and finally death. Cultures of the most toxic isolates contained 0.1 to 104 ppm of deoxynivalenol, 0.7 and 7 ppm of 15- and 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol respectively, 0.2 to 4 ppm of fusarenon-X, 11 to 1021 ppm zearalenone, 40 to 272 ppm of the hemorrhagic factor (wortmannin), 2,100 to 7,200 ppm of moniliformin, 565 ppm of the cytotoxic factor (HM-8) and enniatin in substantial concentrations. F. sambucinum is reported as a moniliformin producer for the first time.