ergot fungus

fungus species
Also known as: Claviceps purpurea

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Ascomycota

ergot disease

  • ergot
    In ergot

    …associated with rye infected by C. purpurea, but other economically important cereals are also susceptible to the disease by other fungal species. For example, ergot of sorghum is caused by C. africana, while that of pearl millet is due to C. fusiformis.

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hallucinogens

  • Honoré Daumier: caricature
    In hallucination: Chemical factors

    , LSD and the ergot (a fungus) that grows on rye, psilocybin from mushrooms, mescaline from the peyote cactus, and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) from marijuana. Hallucinations also can be induced by input overload produced

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poisonous microfungi

production of LSD

  • In LSD

    …flour caused by the fungus Claviceps purpurea). LSD is usually prepared by chemical synthesis in a laboratory. Its basic chemical structure is similar to that of the ergot alkaloids, and it is structurally related to several other drugs (e.g., bufotenine, psilocybin, harmine, and ibogaine), which can all block the action…

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source of alkaloids

  • In alkaloid

    …poppy (Papaver somniferum) and the ergot fungus (Claviceps) each contain about 30 different types. Certain plant families are particularly rich in alkaloids; all plants of the poppy family (Papaveraceae) are thought to contain them, for example. The Ranunculaceae (buttercups), Solanaceae (nightshades), and Amaryllidaceae (amaryllis) are other prominent alkaloid-containing

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mycotoxin, naturally occurring metabolite produced by certain microfungi (i.e., molds) that is toxic to humans and other animals. Mycotoxins occur in great number and variety, though only a small number occur regularly in human foodstuffs and animal feeds. Foods that may be affected include barley, corn, groundnuts, oats, rice, rye, sorghum, sugar, and wheat. Mycotoxins generally are distinguished from mushroom poisons, which are produced by large fungi (i.e., mushrooms).

Mycotoxins of particular importance to the health of humans and livestock include aflatoxins, deoxynivalenol/nivalenol, fumonisins, ochratoxin, and zearalenone. The toxic effects of such substances can include hallucinations, skin inflammation, severe liver damage, hemorrhages, abortion, convulsions, neurological disturbances, and death in livestock and humans. Several mycotoxins cause DNA damage or are associated with tumour formation. Deoxynivalenol, for example, which is produced by certain species of Fusarium, is genotoxic, inducing DNA damage and significantly increasing apoptosis rates in cells. Aflatoxins, which are a complex of mycotoxins produced by species of the soil saprophyte Aspergillus, can cause liver disease and have been shown to be potent carcinogens (cancer-causing agents) in laboratory animals.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kara Rogers.