 toxic or poisonous substances

Mycotoxins
produced byfungi .
 
 Are secondary metabolites, and their effect is NOT dependent on
fungal infection or availability.
 Can cause acute or chronic intoxication and damage and
sometimes death.
 The toxin is only an indirect cause of disease, because the fungus is
already growing in or on the host.
 The ingestion of toxins present in food materials is called as
mycotoxicosis.
 A variety of mycotoxnins are produced by poisonous mushrooms
called amanita species and the ingestion of toxins along with the
fungus is called mycetismus.bhj
 Cooking effect has only a little effect on the potency of
these toxins, which may cause severe or fatal damage to
almost all organs mostly the liver and kidney.
 Mycotoxins can be detected in the bile, urine, faeces, milk,
feeds and food stuff.
1. Aflatoxin
• Aflatoxin is produced by the growth of the mold
Aspergillus flavus, A.parasticus, A.nomius and
penicillium puberulum.
• Present in nuts and maize. Causes aflatoxicosis When
ingested, the toxin might be altered in a human body to a
mutagenic compound.
• The signs and symptoms are lethargy, anorexia and
muscle weakness followed by spasm and ultimately death
of patients
 
Trichothecenes
• Trichothecenes are fungal toxins that inhibit protein synthesis in
eukaryotic cells.
• Ingestion of these toxins causes headaches, chills, severe nausea,
vomiting, and visual disturbances. These toxins are produced by
Fusarium and Stachybotrys growing on grains:maize, sorghum and
wallboard in homes.
• Also produced by trichoderma, trichothecium, myrothecium and
acremonium.
• It causes human toxicosis which causes weight loss, feed/food refusal,
dermatitis,diarrhea, haemorrhage and necrosis of the epithelium of
stomach and intestine and depletion of lymphoid cells in thymus, borne
marrow,spleen testis and ovary.
3. Ochratoxins
• Produced by Aspergillus ochraceus, A. niger and
penicillium verrucosum.
• It is mainly present in cereals, coffee beans and bread.
Human exposure is due to directly consuming
contaminated plant foods or consumption of animal tissues
exposed to contaminated materials.
• In humans it causes a fetal renal disease called as endemic
nephropathy.
 
Cyclopiazonic acid
• Produced by A.flavus, A.versicolor, A.oryzae and penicillium cyclopium.
• It is mainly present in meat, groundnuts and corn. It naturally occurs as
a contaminant in agricultural products with aflatoxin.
• Clinical symptoms include: weight loss, appetite loss, weakness,
vomiting, dehydration, diarrhea, depression convulsion and death.
 
5. Zearalenones
• Produced by Fusarium graminearum. It is associated with wheat, maize,
barley and sorghum.
• In humans, it has been reported to have a possible involvement in
cervical cancer and precocious puberty changes in children
6. Ergot
• The disease called ergotism, is caused by a toxin produced
by an ascomycete plant pathogen, Claviceps purpurea, that
grows on grains(rye).
• In hhumans egortism results from the consumption of bread
made from contaminated rye flour.
• The toxin is contained in sclerotia, highly resistant portions of
the mycelia of the fungus that can detach.
• Ergot also constricts capillaries and can cause gangrene of
the limbs by preventing proper blood circulation in the body.
 
A few mushrooms produce mycotoxins. E.g
• phalloidin and amanitin, produced by Amanita
phaloides commonly known as the deathcap.
• These neurotoxins are so potent that ingestion of the
Amanita mushroom may result in death.
• Other toxins:Corprine, muscarine,ibotenic acid,
muscazone.