Variability in the production of trichothecenes by Fusarium sporotrichioides

Abstract

Production of trichothecenes as with all secondary metabolites, will vary from one producing strain to another. If a particular metabolite is produced at all it may be assumed that the part of the genome involved is intact and it would seem most likely that the quantitative variation observed from strain to strain might arise from modifications in metabolic control. An opportunity to study this phenomenon is presented by the existence of cultures of Fusarium sporotrichioides descended from the original T-2 toxin producing strain isolated in 1965 from French corn by W.C. Snyder and originally referred to as F. tricinctum and since then maintained independently by different culture collections. These strains continue to be T-2 toxin producers but are now morphologically distinct on media such as potato sucrose agar. Preliminary results are reported in studies designed to detail the differences in toxigenicity between these strains.