T-2 toxin-induced pathology in the hearts of rats

T-2 toxin is the major lethal component of several Fusarium fungi implicated in diseases of man and animals. We report here on the histological and ultrastructural changes in hearts of rats given i.p. single large or repeated small doses of T-2 toxin. One, 2 and 3 days after a single large dose, there were lesions in most hearts. They consisted of interstitial oedema, focal cellularity and damage to single or groups of myocytes. The small intramural coronaries were constricted, swollen and sometimes disrupted. After 7 days, most of the changes subsided. In rats killed 1 or 2 months after the last of 10 daily injections of T-2 toxin, cardiomyopathy-like changes were seen with hypertrophy, focal fibrosis and abundant cellularity especially in the subendocardial regions of the left ventricle. The findings, although non-specific, indicate that T-2 toxin is cardiotoxic.