Plant Sciences Commons^™

Association Of Ergot Alkaloids With Conidiation In Aspergillus Fumigatus, Christine M. Coyle, Shawn C. Kenaley, William R. Rittenour, Daniel G. Panaccione

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Ergot alkaloids are mycotoxins that affect the nervous and reproductive systems of exposed individuals through interactions with monoamine receptors. They have been studied more widely in ergot fungi and grass endophytes but also are found in Aspergillus fumigatus, an opportunistic human pathogen that reproduces and disseminates exclusively through conidia. The ergot alkaloids festuclavine and fumigaclavines A, B and C are present in or on conidia of A. fumigatus. Cultures of the fungus that are free of conidia are difficult to obtain, obscuring comparisons of conidia versus vegetative hyphae as sources of the ergot alkaloids. To create conidiation-deficient strains of A. …