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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Mycotoxin Prevention and Applied Microbiology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #298471
Title: Diplodiatoxin, chaetoglobosins, and diplonine associated with a field outbreak of Stenocarpella ear rot in Illinois

Author
item ROGERS, KRISTINA - University Of Iowa
item CANNISTRA, JOSEPH - University Of Iowa
item GLOER, JAMES - University Of Iowa
item Wicklow, Donald

Submitted to: Mycotoxin Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/10/2014
Publication Date: 5/1/2014
Citation: Rogers, K.D., Cannistra, J.C., Gloer, J.B., Wicklow, D.T. 2014. Diplodiatoxin, chaetoglobosins, and diplonine associated with a field outbreak of Stenocarpella ear rot in Illinois. Mycotoxin Research. 30(2):61-70.

Interpretive Summary: In this research we identified toxins produced by a unique fungal pathogen of corn called Stenocarpella maydis. This fungus causes a severe dry-rot of corn ears resulting in substantial losses to the U.S. corn crop. It is also associated with a common nerve disorder in cattle grazing harvested corn fields in southern Africa and Argentina. There have been no chemical studies of corn following a natural field outbreak of S. maydis ear rot. Veterinary toxicologists now will recognize that diplodiatoxin and chaetoglobosins M, O, K, and diplonine are produced in S. maydis rotted ears associated with natural field outbreaks of S. maydis and may contribute to various symptoms of toxicity associated with natural field outbreaks of diplodiosis.

Technical Abstract: Stenocarpella maydis causes a fungal dry-rot of maize ears and is associated with diplodiosis, a neuromycotoxicosis in cattle grazing harvested maize fields in southern Africa and Argentina. There have been no reports of Stenocarpella metabolites in maize crop residues. Chemical investigations of S. maydis-infected grain from ears exhibiting different levels of ear rot severity following a 2010 field outbreak of Stenocarpella ear rot in Illinois led to the detection of diplodiatoxin and chaetoglobosins M and O as major components in the ethyl acetate extracts. Following post-harvest moist incubation of the S. maydis infected grain, the amounts of each compound increased (app. 10 fold) and chaetoglobosin K was detected as a dominant toxin. The limit of detection of these compounds has not been determined, but on the basis of the LC-ESIMS results, these values are expected to be <200 ng for diplodiatoxin and chaetoglobosin K, and between 200 ng and 2 µg for chaetoglobosins M and O. On the basis of the 1HNMR analysis, the neurotoxin diplonine was detected as a minor component in the methanol extracts of the S. maydis infected grain as well as cultures of S. maydis isolates from Midwest corn. This constitutes the first report of chaetoglobosins M and O from S. maydis, and the first record of diplodiatoxin, diplonine, or chaetoglobosins M, O, and K being associated with a natural field outbreak of S. maydis ear rot.