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Appl Environ Microbiol. 1972 August; 24(2): 248-250
Copyright © 1972 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Tremorgenic Toxin from Penicillium verruculosum

National Peanut Research Laboratory, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Dawson, Georgia 31742
Department of Botany and Microbiology, Auburn University Agricultural Experiment Station, Auburn, Alabama 36830

ABSTRACT

A new mycotoxin that produces severe tremors and acute toxicity when administered orally or intraperitoneally (ip) to mice and 1-day-old cockerels was obtained from a strain of Penicillium verruculosum Peyronel isolated from peanuts. The ip 50% lethal dose (LD₅₀) of this tremorgen was 2.4 mg/kg in mice and 15.2 mg/kg in chickens. Orally administered LD₅₀ values for the toxin were 126.7 mg/kg in mice and 365.5 mg/kg in chickens. The trivial name "verruculogen" is proposed for this tremorgenic mycotoxin. Physical and chemical characteristics of the mycotoxin are described.