Effect of culture conditions on tremorgen production by some Penicillium species.

Four strains each of seven tremorgenic Penicillium species were grown under various conditions and tested for tremorgen production by intraperitoneal injection of mice and by chemical analysis. Half of the strains had previously been found to be tremorgenic on bioassay after growth on Czapek Dox yeast extract broth or potato-milk-sucrose broth for 3 weeks at 26 degrees C. In the tests reported here nearly all previously nontremorgenic strains were either tremorgenic to mice or produced tremorgens detectable by chemical analysis but did so after longer incubation periods than used in the original screening. Bioassay was not suitable for the estimation of absolute levels but was preferable to chemical analysis when the identity of the tremorgens was not known. Species and strains within species gave different responses to changes in culture medium, incubation temperature, light irradiation, and shaking. Overall, tremorgen production was maximal at 20 or 26 degrees C, increased with time, and was reduced in shaken culture.