Several strains of the genus Penicillium isolated from swabs from uranium miners working environment were screened for production of known mycotoxins; and embryotoxicity of chloroform extracts from the isolates was investigated in chick embryos. Penicillium aurantiogriseum was found to produce chaetoglobosin A.
ED(50) of this mycotoxin for 2-, 3- and 4-day-old chick embryos was found 0.040 (0.031-0.052), 0.074 (0.051-0.107), and 0.180 (0.113-0.229) mu g/embryo, respectively. The effect was purely embryolethal with no signs of teratogenicity recorded.
This is the first report on the isolation of chaetoglobosin A from the genus Penicillium