Lecture 3: Poisonous Fungi

Question 1

Aflatoxins

Answer 1

among the most dangerous fungal toxins; produced by certain strains of Aspergillus flacus and A. parasticus

Question 2

Why are aflatoxins a potential health hazard?

Answer 2

since agriculutiral products may be contaminated both before and after harvest
- toxins remain in food long after the fungus had died and aflatoxin-contaminated food is often not visibly moldy

Question 3

What are the most commonly affected crops?

Answer 3

corn, peanuts, cottonseed, rice, nuts, cereal grains, and fruits

Question 4

Aflatoxins from contaminated domestic animal feed are retained in..

Answer 4

eggs, milk, and meat, and so passed on to persons consuming these foods.

Question 5

Aflatoxins are a potent carcinogen and so..

Answer 5

interact directly with DNA to strongly affect the transcription of genetic information. The resultant metabolites are important isk factors for liver tumours and liver cell degeneration - children are particularly susceptibel to aflatoxin poisoning

Question 6

Ergot

Answer 6

A fungal parasite of some cereal grains, particularly rye) and forage grasses; is particularily abundant in wet summers

Question 7

What does the ergot fungus attack?

Answer 7

maturing cereal grains, producing characterisit purplish-black “fruiting bodies”

Question 8

What are the fruiting bodies called?

Answer 8

scherotia

Question 9

How is ergot normally ingest by humans?

Answer 9

contaminated milled flour - baking does NOT destroy the the poisoning alkaloids

Question 10

Daily ingestion of small amounts of ergot results in..

Answer 10

chronic poisoning

Question 11

when was accidental poisoning of ergot common in europe?

Answer 11

in the middle ages, particularly where rye bread was eaten

Question 12

What is St. Anthony’s Fire?

Answer 12

symptoms of ergot poisoning.

Question 13

When was the earlies reliabel record of a SERIOUS outbreak of ergot poisoning?

Answer 13

857 CE in the Rhine Valley of Germany, but ergotsim almost certainly occured prior to this date

Question 14

Ergot outbreak in 994

Answer 14

killed an estimated 40,000 ppl in France

Question 15

Ergot outbreak in France in 1039

Answer 15

led the philanthropist Gaston De la Vallorie to establish a hospital dedicated to Saint Anthony for the treatment of victims of ergotsism

Question 16

How did ergot poisoning lead to the flourish of the church in Europe?

Answer 16

370 hospitals often associated with the chuch were established. Ppl with ergot poisoning sought sanctuary and protection in the Church where they were fed light coloured bread not infested with ergot, when their symptoms disappeared it confirmed the healing powers of the church.

Question 17

Two types of ergotsim

Answer 17

Gangrenous ergotism

convulsive ergotism

Question 18

Gangrenous ergotism symptoms

Answer 18

tingling sensation in the extremities, vomiting and diarrhea, within a few days extremeites become gangrenous and hallucinations occur; eventually entire limbs are affected resulting in excrciaing pain as blood flow to the extremities declines; sometimes the limbs eventually separate from the body

Question 19

Conculsive ergotism symptoms

Answer 19

similar to gangrenous but produces painful spasms of the limb muscles, severe epileptic convulsions and eventually death

Question 20

Two groups of active alkaloids in ergot

Answer 20

1. ergonovine and ergotamine

2. lysergic acid (LSD) derivatives

Question 21

ergonovine and egotamine cause..

Answer 21

arterioles to contract, contractions of smooth muscle, particularly that of the digestive tract

Question 22

What symptoms does the first group of ergot alkaloids cause?

Answer 22

the characteristic symptoms of ergotism: gangrene of extremities, vomiting, muscle twitching and staggering gait

Question 23

What symptoms does the LSD derivatives cause?

Answer 23

visual-auditory hallucinations

Question 24

What caused the suggestion of the link between ergot intoxication and religous visions that were frequently reported during the middle ages?

Answer 24

because during the middle ages, the chruch embraced all aspects of European life, leading to the speculation that ergot-induced hallucinations would often have been manifested as religious imagery

Question 25

What else can ergot explain in Europe and colonial America?

Answer 25

Witchcraft

Question 26

Where did the most famous “witch trial” occur?

Answer 26

Purtian colony of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692

Question 27

What occurred in the most famous witch trial?

Answer 27

Children and young adults reported convulsions, mental disturbance, and perceptual distortions- which were associated with witch craft – lead to the hanging of 20 men and women accused of “demonic possession “ of the affected children.

Question 28

It was thought that Salem witch trials were driven primarily by..

Answer 28

“Group hysteria”

Question 29

Researchers have noted association with witch symptoms with..

Answer 29

Ergot poisoning

Question 30

of researchers have strong correlation of wet summers and…

Answer 30

Reports of demonic possession and witchcraft

Question 31

Other evidence for ergot poisoning causing witch craft in Norway and Scotland?

Answer 31

Witch persecution has only occurred where rye was grown and used for bread making

Question 32

How was ergot used as medicine in Europe

Answer 32

During childbirth since it stimulated contractions of uterine muscle; to control uterine hemorrhaging
Not used today

Question 33

How many pounds of ergot was imported to the USA in late 1940 for expectant mothers

Answer 33

2000kg

Question 34

What is the most poisonous mushroom? what are its killing stats

Answer 34

Death Cap

over 90% of all mushroom poisoning fatalities in Eurasia and north america

Question 35

why do fatalities due to death cap occur?

Answer 35

because death cap is commonly mistaken for edible mushroom species - Asian straw mushroom

Question 36

how long is the latency period to the onset of symptoms from death cap?

Answer 36

10 hr

Question 37

What are the symptoms of death cap poisoning?

Answer 37

initial - abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting lasting about a day
appearent remission the next day but then followed by severe intestinal pain as well as liver and kidney failure
Death may occur if the patients is not immediately treated

Question 38

what is the active compound in death cap and what does it do?

Answer 38

complex alkaloid amanitin and it causes cell destruction

Question 39

other poisonous mushrooms

Answer 39

gymnomitra esculenta - poisoning by cell destruction
entoloma sinuatum and boletus satanas - poisoning by enteritis or inflammation of the small intestine
– cases are rare since they are rarely mistaken for edible mushrooms