Genetic Divergence and Chemotype Diversity in the Fusarium Head Blight Pathogen Fusarium poae.

Fusarium head blight is a disease caused by a complex of species. is omnipresent throughout Europe in spite of its low virulence. In this study, we assessed a geographically diverse collection of isolates for its genetic diversity using AFLP (Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism).

Living apart together: crosstalk between the core and supernumerary genomes in a fungal plant pathogen.

Background: Eukaryotes display remarkable genome plasticity, which can include supernumerary chromosomes that differ markedly from the core chromosomes. Despite the widespread occurrence of supernumerary chromosomes in fungi, their origin, relation to the core genome and the reason for their divergent characteristics are still largely unknown. The complexity of genome assembly due to the presence of repetitive DNA partially accounts for this.

A European Database of Fusarium graminearum and F. culmorum Trichothecene Genotypes.

Fusarium species, particularly Fusarium graminearum and F. culmorum, are the main cause of trichothecene type B contamination in cereals. Data on the distribution of Fusarium trichothecene genotypes in cereals in Europe are scattered in time and space.

The compositional mosaic of Fusarium species and their mycotoxins in unprocessed cereals, food and feed products in Belgium.

Global food safety depends on continuous monitoring of food contaminants such as mycotoxins in cereals and cereal-derived products. Here, we combine this type of investigation with quantitative occurrence data on Fusarium infestation of these products in extensive correlation studies. Finally, this contributes to a thorough understanding of the presence, origin and physiology of Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) related mycotoxins and the correlations within their ranks.

Deoxynivalenol: a major player in the multifaceted response of Fusarium to its environment.

The mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON), produced by several Fusarium spp., acts as a virulence factor and is essential for symptom development after initial wheat infection. Accumulating evidence shows that the production of this secondary metabolite can be triggered by diverse environmental and cellular signals, implying that it might have additional roles during the life cycle of the fungus.