Safety Assessment including Current and Emerging Issues in Toxicologic Pathology

Science Direct ^ | 2013 | Wanda M. Haschek, Kenneth A. Voss

[kawhill]

Claviceps spp. Members of the genus Claviceps infect more than 600 plant species, including sedges, rushes, and grasses. Important host plants for Claviceps purpurea include rye, triticale, barley, oats, wheat, millet, Kentucky bluegrass, and brome, orchard, timothy, and quack grasses. In terms of food safety, infection of grains with Claviceps purpurea is of greatest concern, although Claviceps africana found in sorghum and Claviceps fusiformis in pearl millet also need to be considered. Claviceps cyperi, found on the weed yellow nut sedge in South Africa, has caused ergot alkaloid toxicosis in dairy cattle. Claviceps paspali grows on grasses of the Paspalum spp. and causes neurotoxicity in animals manifest as ataxia or “staggers.” This neurologic syndrome is due to indole-diterpenoid tremorgens (paspalitrems) and not due to ergot alkaloids that occur at very low levels.

[Carry_Okie]

Would you please be so kind as to associate the species with their endemic origins?

Thanks.

[kawhill]

As a potential farmer it would be interesting to grow and cut and bail some of this.

Claviceps cyperi, found on the weed yellow nut sedge in South Africa

[kawhill]

https://eorganic.org/node/5135

[kawhill]

Some data, what was most interesting was the result of the ingestion of ergot alkaloids in mammalian creatures.
https://repository.up.ac.za/bitstream/handle/2263/26982/00front.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y