Effects of beauvericin to mammalian tissue and its production by Austrian isolates of Fusarium proliferatum and Fusarium subglutinans

Austrian isolates of Fusarium subglutinans and Fusarium proliferatum were studied for their ability to produce beauvericin, moniliformin and fumonisin B1 and B2 under laboratory conditions. Analytical methodology for beauvericin was specially adapted for this task. Our analyses showed that the strains produced beauvericin up to 687 mg/kg maize and moniliformin up to 70 mg/kg. The culture of F. proliferatum in addition produced fumonisin B1 and B2 at levels of 106 and 61 mg/kg, respectively. The preliminary toxicity experiments performed in this study clearly indicated a toxic effect of beauvericin on the contractility of mammalian smooth muscle and thus on mammalian cells.