Abstract

Mycotoxins are chemicals that are produced by filamentous fungi that affect human or animal health. By convention, this excludes mushroom poisons. All of these species are Deuteromycetes, some of which have a known ascomycetous stage. The occurrence of mycotoxins is entirely governed by the existence of conditions that favor the growth of the fungi concerned. Under environmental conditions, different fungal species are favored as diseases of crop plants or as saprophytes on stored crops. When the conditions favor the growth of toxigenic species, it is an invariable rule that one or more of the compounds for which the fungus has the genetic potential are produced.