OCCURRENCE OF FUSAPROLIFERIN AND BEAUVERICIN IN FUSARIUM-CONTAMINATEDLIVESTOCK FEED IN IOWA

Fusarium fungal contaminants and related mycotoxins were investigated in eight maize feed samples submitted to the Iowa State University Vet erinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Fusarium moniliforme, F. proliferatum, and F, subglutinans were isolated from seven, eight, and five samples, respectively. These strains belonged to mating populations A, D, and E of the teleomorph Gibberella fujikuroi. Fusaproliferin was detected at concentrations of 0.1 to 30 mu g/g in four samples, and beauvericin was detected (0.1 to 3.0 mu g/g) in five samples. Fumonisins were det ected in all eight samples (1.1 to 14 mu g/g). Ten of 11 strains off. proliferatum and all 12 strains off. subglutinans isolated from the sa mples produced fusaproliferin in culture on whole maize kernels (4 to 350 and 100 to 1,000 mu g/g, respectively). Nine F, proliferatum strai ns also produced beauvericin in culture (85 to 350 mu g/g), but none o f the F. subglutinans strains produced beauvericin, Fumonisin B-1 was produced by all nine F, moniliforme strains (50 to 2,000 mu g/g) and b y 10 of the F, proliferatum strains (1,000 to 2,000 mu g/g). This is t he first report of the natural occurrence of fusaproliferin outside It aly and of the natural occurrence of beauvericin in North America.