TDP-1, a toxic component causing tibial dyschondroplasia in broiler chickens, and trichothecenes from Fusarium roseum 'Graminearum'.

Fusarium roseum 'Graminearum' was isolated from overwintered oats in Alaska and was tested for its ability to cause tibial dyschondroplasia (TDP) in broiler chickens. The water-soluble fraction was tested and found to cause TDP. In addition, diacetoxyscirpenol and 7-hydroxydiacetoxyscirpenol were identified in the acetonitrile fraction of the extracts and caused mild mouth lesions in chickens. Six major water-soluble components were purified by thin-layer chromatography and tested for toxicity to chick embryos. One of the six components, called TDP-1, was found to be lethal to chick embryos. There was a 100% incidence of TDP in chickens fed a diet containing 75 ppm (wt/wt) of pure TDP-1, thus establishing the cause and effect relationship between TDP and TDP-1. Analyses by thin-layer chromatography and mass spectrometry revealed that TDP-1 is polar and ninhydrin positive, exhibits fluorescence with UV irradiation, and is a nitrogen-containing component with an empirical formula of C15H20N2O4.