Straw, stachybotryotoxicosis

Another disease, termed stachybotryotoxicosis, caused the death of thousands of horses in the Soviet Union prior to World War II and was attributed to contamination of straw and hay with the fungus Stachybotrys atra. 

Stachybotrys chartarum (previously also called S. atrd), the fungal cause of stachybotryotoxicosis and sick building syndrome, is a black mold. There are two toxic chemo-types of S. chartarum, one elaborating highly toxic macrocyclic trichothecenes and the other less toxic atra-nones and simple, but not macrocychc, trichothecenes (Andersen et al, 2002). Exposure may be by ingestion, e.g. exposure to contaminated straw, or inhalation as when mold grows in water-damaged homes or air ducts. 

The so-called stachybotryotoxicosis occurs mainly in Ukraine, Hungary, and other East European countries. The symptoms in horses, pigs, cattle, and poultry are skin necrosis, inner hemorrhages, states of shock, irritations of stomach mucous membranes, reduced leukocyte count, nervousness. In severe cases the animals die within 1 - 3 d. Farm-workers who handle infected hay and straw may also show signs of poisoning such as skin and mucous irritations, cough, nosebleeds, fever, etc. Like all trichothecenes the S. inhibit eukaryotic protein biosynthesis. 

Harrach, B., G. Danko, G. Cseh, and M. Benko Isolation of macrocyclic tri-chothecenes from straw associated with death of calves (Stachybotryotoxicosis). Magy, Allatorv. Lapja 37, 808 (1982). 

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