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Appl Environ Microbiol. 1971 June; 21(6): 1011-1016
Copyright © 1971 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Brine Shrimp (Artemia salina L.) Larvae as a Screening System for Fungal Toxins

Research Laboratories, Food and Drug Directorate, Department of National Health and Welfare, Tunney's Pasture, Ottawa, Canada

ABSTRACT

Concentrations resulting in 50% mortality, determined with brine shrimp (Artemia salina L.) larvae exposed to known mycotoxins for 16 hr, were (µg/ml): aflatoxin G₁, 1.3; diacetoxyscirpenol, 0.47; gliotoxin, 3.5; ochratoxin A, 10.1; and sterigmatocystin, 0.54. 4-Acetamido-4-hydroxy-2-butenoic acid -lactone gave no mortality at 10 µg/ml. Used as a screening system involving discs saturated with solutions of known mycotoxins, the larvae were relatively sensitive to aflatoxin B₁, diacetoxyscirpenol, gliotoxin, kojic acid, ochratoxin A, rubratoxin B, sterigmatocystin, stemphone, and T-2 toxin. Quantities of 0.2 to 2 µg/disc caused detectable mortality. The larvae were only moderately sensitive to citrinin, patulin, penicillic acid, and zearalenone which were detectable at 10 to 20 µg/disc. They were relatively insensitive to griseofulvin, luteoskyrin, oxalic acid, and ß-nitropropionic acid. The disc screening method indicated that 27 out of 70 fungal isolates from foods and feeds grown in liquid or solid media produced chloroform-extractable toxic material. Examination of toxic extracts by thin-layer chromatography for 17 known mycotoxins showed that the toxicity of eight isolates could be attributed to aflatoxin B₁ and B₂, kojic acid, zearalenone, T-2 toxin, or ochratoxin A. Nine out of 32 of these fungal isolates grown in four liquid media yielded toxic culture filtrates from at least one medium. Chemical tests for kojic, oxalic, and ß-nitropropionic acids showed the presence of one or two of these compounds in filtrates of seven of these nine isolates.