Trichothecene mycotoxin

HISTORY AND MILITARY SIGNIFICANCE Use in Biological Warfare The Yellow Rain Controversy Weaponization 

DESCRIPTION OF THE AGENT Occurrence in Nature Chemical and Physical Properties 

CLINICAL DISEASE Acute Effects Chronic Toxicity 

MEDICAL MANAGEMENT Individual and Unit Specific or Supportive Therapy Prophylaxis 

Assistant Chief, Toxinology Division, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland 21702-5011 t Colonel, Medical Corps, U.S. Army Reserve Professor of Medicine and Chief, Section of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, 

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This same experimental approach can be used to determine the appHcabiUty of the aDAS—AP to a competitive assay for DAS. As shown in Eigure 6, increasing amounts of free DAS were used to define the 50% inhibition level (ID q) of DAS for binding of two aDAS—AP conjugates to immobilized DAS. This approach was also used to determine the sensitivity of an EIA, as well as the specificity of the assay, as shown in Table 2. Increasing amounts of trichothecene mycotoxins closely related to DAS were added to microtiter plate wells containing a constant amount of prereacted DAS—aDAS—AP. After 30 min, excess toxin and any free toxin—aDAS—AP were washed out, and substrate was added. Quantification of the color produced was directly related to the abihty of the added toxin to displace aDAS—AP from the immobilized DAS, which is an indication that the aDAS also has an avidity for that toxin. 

Reagent for Epoxides e.g. trichothecene-mycotoxins [1 — 6] valepotriates [7,17] Olefins, acetylene derivatives [8] 4-Hydroxycumarin, anthraquinone [8] Alkylating agents [9-12] NOz... 

Modulation of Inflammatory Gene Expression by Trichothecene Mycotoxins... 

Bamburg, J. R. Biological and Biochemical Actions of Trichothecene Mycotoxins. Prog. Mol.randSubcel.rBiol. 8,41, 1983. 

Heyndrickx, A., Sookvanichsilp N., and Van-den H.M. Detection of trichothecene mycotoxins (yellow rain) in blood, urine and faeces of Iranian soldiers treated as victims of a gas attack. Arch. Belg. Suppl, 143, 1984. 

Yang, G. et al. Apoptosis induction by the satratoxins and other trichothecene mycotoxins Relationship to ERK, p38 MAPK and SAPK/JNK Activation. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 164, 149-160, 2000. 

Shifrin, V. I. and Anderson P. Trichothecene mycotoxins trigger a ribotoxic stress response that activates c-Jun N-terminal kinase and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and induces apoptosis. J. Biol. Chem. 274, 13985, 1999. 

Biological Agents BACTERIA (Anthrax, Brucellosis, Cholera, Plague, Tularemia). VIRUSES (Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, Rift Valley Fever, Smallpox, Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis (VEE), Viral Hemorrhagic Fever (Ebola)). TOXINS (Botulinum, Ricin, Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B (SEB), Trichothecene Mycotoxins/T-2). 

Yellow Rain A lethal yellow substance thought to have been dispersed aerially as a warfare agent in Southeast Asia and Afghanistan the lethal component is though to have been a trichothecene mycotoxin that was reported to produce severe nausea and vomiting, disturbances in the central nervous system. Fever, chills, and abnormally low blood pressure with a case mortality of approximately 50 percent. 

Trichoderma reesi, 12 479, 480 Trichoderma viride, 10 536 Trichothecene mycotoxins, 14 144, 146 Trichromatic sources, for white LEDs, 14 862... 

Trichothecene mycotoxin Toxin produced by fungal molds it inhibits protein synthesis, impairs DNA synthesis, and interferes with cell membrane structure and function. 

This section addresses the toxin forms of biological agents that would most likely be considered by terrorists. These agents include C. botulinum, C. perfringens, S. enterotoxin B, ricin, saxitoxins, and trichothecene mycotoxins (T-2). 

Trichothecene mycotoxins are produced by a number of fungal molds of the Fusarium, Myrotecium, Trichoderma, and Stachybotrys genera. They inhibit protein synthesis, impair DNA synthesis, and interfere with cell membrane structures and functions. The potential routes of exposure are inhalation, ingestion, and skin absorption. A terrorist may take advantage of any of these routes. 

Shima, J. et al., Novel detoxification of the trichothecene mycotoxin deoxynivalenol by a soil bacterium isolated by enrichment culture, Appl. Env. Microbiol., 63, 3825, 1997. 

Swanson, S.P. et ah. Metabolism of three trichothecene mycotoxins, T-2 toxin, diacetoxyscirpenol and deox5mivalenol, by bovine rumen microorganisms, J. Chromatogr., 414, 335, 1987. 

Kalinoski et al. [32] has applied this method to the determination of tri-chothecene mycotoxins in wheat. The methods were based on chemical ionisation MS and collision-induced dissociation tandem MS and enabled the rapid identification of ppm levels of several trichothecene mycotoxins. Supercritical carbon dioxide is shown to allow identification of mycotoxins with minimum sample handling in complex natural matrices such as wheat. Tandem MS techniques are employed for unambiguous identification of compounds of varying polarity, and false positives from isobaric compounds are avoided. Capillary column SCFC-MS of a SCF extract of the same sample was also performed, and detection limits in the ppb range appear feasible. 

A further method of determining the trichothecene mycotoxin deoxynivalenol in corn is based on DPP [33] and also on GC. 

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