Fusarium

Fusarium mycotoxins

Fusarium mycotoxins are produced by several species of the genus Fusarium which infect the grain of developing cereals such as wheat and maize.

They include a range of mycotoxins including the Fumonisins, which affect the nervous systems of horses and cause cancer in rodents, the Trichothecenes, including deoxynivalenol, and Zearalenone, the last two of which are very stable and can survive cooking.

The trichothecenes are acutely toxic to humans, causing sickness and diarrhoea and potentially death.

See also

 fungi (fungal infections)