Trichothecene and beauvericin mycotoxin production and genetic variability in Fusarium poae isolated from wheat kernels from northern Italy.

The importance and widespread incidence of Fusarium poae as a natural contaminant of wheat in different climatic areas warrants investigation into the genetic diversity and toxin profile of a northern Italy population. Eighty-one strains of F. poae isolated from durum wheat kernels, identified by species-specific polymerase chain reaction and translation elongation factor-1alpha gene sequence analysis, were genetically characterized by the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) technique and analysed by high-pressure liquid chromatography for their ability to produce the beauvericin (BEA) and trichothecene mycotoxins. A high level of variability was observed by using AFLP analyses, with the lowest level of genetic similarity among the strains being approximately 61%. Most of the strains, 95%, produced BEA at <2655 microg g(-1); 88% produced the trichothecene nivalenol at <865 microg g(-1) and 76% produced the trichothecene fusarenon-X at <167 microg g(-1). These data show that F. poae can produce high amounts of BEA together with trichothecenes, and can represent a high potential mycotoxin risk in Italy for wheat colonized by this species.