Natural occurrence of gliotoxin in turkeys infected with Aspergillus fumigatus,Fresenius

Thirteen samples of infected turkey lung tissue from cases of airsacculitis were collected either at the processing plant or from a local turkey farm and subjected to cultural and gliotoxin analysis. Aspergillus fumigatus was isolated from 6 of the 13 samples; all isolates were determined to be gliotoxin producers when grown in laboratory culture and assayed by HPLC procedures. Gliotoxin was isolated from 5 of the 13 tissues but was not isolated from all tissues that were infected with A. fumigatus. Gliotoxin was isolated from two tissues from which no A. fumigatus was isolated and it was not detected in three tissues from which gliotoxin-producing isolates of A. fumigatus were obtained. The ability of this pathogenic fungus to produce this immunomodulating compound in naturally infected turkeys provides further evidence that gliotoxin may be involved in the pathogenesis of the disease, aspergillosis of turkeys.Disclaimer: Names are necessary to report factually on available data; however, the USDA neither guarantees nor warrants the standard of the products, and the use of the name by USDA implies no approval of the product to the exclusion of others that may also be suitable.