Ergot word derives from the Latin word articulum articulation or join via the Old French argot cockspur, suggesting the shape of the sclerotium of the fungus, as people in France noted some resemblance between the sclerotia and the spurs on rooster legs. In the European Middle Ages, diseases caused by ergot were referred to as St. Before this disease was understood, the ergots were ground up along with rye grains and ingested when the flour was used for baking. Its history is unclear because diagnostics were primitive and symptoms could be attributed to a number of diseases.
Symptoms also varied depending on which toxins or alkaloids were present in the ingested ergots and at what concentration. There are two main clinical toxicity forms of ergotism: gangrenous and convulsive. Common symptoms included strange mental aberrations, hallucinations, a feeling of burning skin or insects crawling under the skin.
Some victims developed gangrene due to constriction of blood vessels in the extremities; many victims lost hands and feet Figure 6. Patients with ergotism were cared for in hospitals dedicated to St. Anthony until their painful and prolonged suffering ceased. People under the influence of ergot alkaloids may have convulsions, become manic, appear dazed, be unable to speak or have other forms of paralysis or tremors, and suffer from hallucinations and other distorted perceptions.
Salem, MA, in particular. Because of this and reports that rye was consumed by these populations, it has been proposed that ergotism contributed to these events. However, not everyone agrees and concrete evidence to support the connection is lacking. Ergots are so commonly associated with rye that they were included in early botanical drawings of the plant species Figure 7.
The discovery of the cause of ergotism in is attributed to a French physician, Dr. Ergotism could then be reduced by separating the ergots from the healthy grains before milling. Even after the cause of ergotism was known, many poor people did not have alternative food sources in years when ergot was severe.
Many lives have probably been saved by the adoption of the potato, which originated in South America. As the potato became a peasant staple, production of rye and its accompanying ergot disease declined in many areas.
Women suffering from ergotism frequently miscarried, and fertility was generally reduced during outbreaks. When ergotism occurred in lactating women, the ergot alkaloid, ergocryptine, which can inhibit prolactin production and release from the anterior pituitary gland, caused them to stop producing milk.
Historically, ergot was also noted to have effects on parturition and on postpartum hemorrhage. Powdered preparation of ergot called pulvis ad partum powder of birth was used by midwives and doctors for many years to accelerate labor, induce abortions and prevent uterine hemorrhage. The price of ergot, by weight, was 20 times that of rye in the period before the First World War. Fascination with C. Robin Cook based his novel, Acceptable Risk , on an ergot-like fungus isolated in Salem, Massachusetts.
A character in an episode of the television series, X-Files, develops strange behaviors after receiving a tattoo colored with a rye extract. Modern management practices reduce ergot infections in most cereal crops. Occasionally, animals released into fields for grazing are poisoned by ergot in wild grasses, particularly following prolonged cool, wet weather in the spring.
Ergot can also be a problem where cattle producers rely on grass hay for feed during the winter. When fed to cattle, levels of ergot greater than 0.
Ergot remains a significant problem in grass seed production by reducing yields, creating harvesting problems because of honeydew residues, and causing restrictions on shipment of contaminated seed to other countries.
Modern cleaning methods remove ergots from grain before it is milled or used for animal feed, but the process is costly and may leave toxic residues. The legal limit of ergot by weight is 0. If the limit is exceeded, the grain is classified as "ergoty" and its value is reduced. Ergot toxins are not destroyed by baking. Isolation of ergotamine by Arthur Stoll from Switzerland marks the onset of modern research on ergot alkaloids.
Since then, chemists have intensively studied more than 40 alkaloids produced by the fungus, including the infamous hallucinogen, lysergic acid diethylamide LSD. LSD was first synthesized by the Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann in , while searching for respiratory and circulatory stimulants.
Ergot is now deliberately cultivated in the field and laboratory for medicinal purposes. Various compounds have been isolated and modified from ergot for medicinal uses, such as treatment of migraine headaches, post-partum bleeding, neurological and cardiovascular disorders and in modern obstetrics. Ergot in Pearl millet: Ergot caused by C.
It is widespread in Africa and India where pearl millet has been grown for thousands of years. Its importance as a major threat was realized only after the introduction of hybrids based on cytoplasmic male sterility CMS.
This disease has been reported from India, Pakistan and several countries in Africa. Cream to pink mucilaginous honeydew oozes from infected florets on pearl millet panicles Figure 8. The honeydew contains two types of asexual spores macro- and micro conidia that lead to secondary spread of the disease.
Within 2 weeks, these droplets dry out and hard, dark brown to black sclerotia, which are larger than the seed and have a pointed apex, protrude from the florets in place of grain Figure 9. Sclerotia germinate under favorable conditions and produce ascospores that are carried by air currents and infect stigmas of pearl millet before pollination.
Honeydew symptoms appear within days and fully developed sclerotia are visible within days after infection. Pearl millet ergot sclerotia contain groups of water-soluble alkaloids that are different from those of C. Ergotism symptoms caused by pearl millet ergot are also different from those of European classical ergotism.
Agroclavme and elymociavine are two groups of alkaloids identified from pearl millet. Figure 8. Figure 9. Sclerotia of Claviceps fusiformis protruding from pearl millet head. Ergot in Sorghum: Several Claviceps species cause ergot disease in sorghum. In , Claviceps africana was discovered in Brazil, the first report outside Africa and Asia. It rapidly spread worldwide in most sorghum-growing areas including the U. It was first detected in the U. The life cycle is similar to that of C.
Sorghum ergot produces different range of alkaloids than rye and other millet ergots. Sorghum ergot was considered less toxic to animals but sudden threat of the disease worldwide has led to new studies which concluded the toxic effects of sorghum ergots on lactation, plasma prolactin level and weight gain in animals. Epichloe spp. They are known to form endophytic symbiosis with grasses and are ecologically significant through their effect on host plants.
For most of their life cycle, Epichloe grow in the intercellular spaces of stems, leaves, inflorescences and seeds of the grass plant without incurring symptoms of disease. Their presence is reported to provide several benefits to their host, including the production of different herbivore deterring alkaloids, increased tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses; and growth promotion.
Although grass- Epichloe spp. Bandyopadhyay, R. Ergot: A new disease threat to sorghum in the Americas and Australia. Plant Dis. Blaney, B. Blood prolactin depression in growing pigs fed sorghum ergot Calviceps africana. Esser, K. Biotechnological exploitation of the ergot fungus Claviceps purpurea.
Process Biochem. Evans, I. Wheat diseases and copper nutrition. Better Crops, pp. Guerre, P. Ergot alkaloids produced by endophytic fungi of the genus Epichloe. Toxins Hudler, G. Magical Mushrooms, Mischievous Molds. Johnston, W. Effect of temperature and postharvest field burning of Kentucky bluegrass on germination of sclerotia of Claviceps purpurea. Kirby, H. Ergot of cereals and grasses. University of Illinois Extension.
RPD No. Kopinski, J. Effect of feeding sorghum ergot Claviceps africana to sows during mid lactation on plasma prolactin and litter performance. Kren, V. Ergot: The Genus Claviceps. Harwood Academic, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Kuldau, G. Clavicipitaceous endophytes: Their ability to enhance resistance of grasses to multiple stresses. Lee, M. The history of ergot of rye Claviceps purpurea I: From antiquity to Physicians Edinb. Mathre, D.
Compendium of Barley Diseases. American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN. Miedaner, T. Biology, genetics, and management of ergot Claviceps spp. Odvody, G. Sorghum ergot goes global in less than three years. APS Features. Puranik, S. Biology and control of ergot on male sterile wheat and barley. Phytopathology Rehacek, Z.
Elsevier, New York. Schardl, C. Protective grass endophytes: Where are they from and where are they going? Schlegel, R. Rye: Genetics, Breeding, and Cultivation. Schultz, T. Control of ergot in Kentucky bluegrass seed production using fungicides. Aug 24 A recent paper published online by the European Food Safety Authority EFSA considered the exposure of humans to ergot alkaloids and whether any safety risk was posed to humans. But, what are ergot alkaloids and can you eat them safely?
Ergot has probably been known about for several thousand years. They are a group of compounds that can infect many grass species, including cultivated grass species that we use to produce food. The blackened ear is formed by a hardened mass of fungal mycelium that contains the food stores of the fungus.
They can remain dormant for long periods of time. The sclerotium contains a fungal toxin — and the fungal infection that infects the grasses is known as ergot, with the ergot alkaloids being a major component of the toxins. When the sclerotia — ergots — were used in making bread the toxins entered the food chain. The condition resulting from the toxins was known as ergotism and was documented in both Roman times and the Middle Ages.
There are reports of different types of ergotism, which seem to depend on the type of fungus or Claviceps that was found on the grass, but effects included gangrene and convulsions. But ergot was also a medicine, being used to help induce childbirth in the 16 th century until the end of the 19 th century due to the adverse effects. However, in the 20 th century some components of ergot were found to be effective in the treatment of migraines — the ergot alkaloid known as ergotamine. In Europe, C.
There are twelve main ergot alkaloids from C. The EFSA team used liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry to analyse over food samples plus animal feed samples. The analysis of contaminants in food is discussed in the article, How Safe is Safe? Analytical Tools for Tracing Contaminants in Food. The team found ergot alkaloids were highest in rye and rye-containing products, and the twelve main alkaloids were found in most of the samples.
However, the levels were very low and in line with a report, there is no health concerns for any groups including young children.
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