Gliotoxin inhibits transformation and its cytotoxic to turkey peripheral blood lymphocytes.

Gliotoxin, an epipolythiodioxopiperizine mycotoxin, has been shown to be produced by, among other fungi, Aspergillus fumigatus Fresenius. This organism is the major causative agent of the respiratory disease aspergillosis in avian species, especially turkeys. Because gliotoxin has been shown to be immunosuppressive and has the potential for being involved in the pathogenesis of aspergillosis, the in vitro activity of this compound with avian lymphocytes was investigated. Immunosuppression was investigated using peripheral blood lymphocytes from turkeys in a lymphoblastogenesis assay and a cytotoxicity assay using conversion of the tetrazolium salt MTT to MTT formazan by the mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase enzyme elaborated only by living cells. Gliotoxin appeared to have a threshold level in both tests because little or no response or stimulation was evident when cells were exposed to concentrations of the toxin below 100 ng/ml, but at 100 ng/ml, all cells appeared to be dead. Using T-2 mycotoxin as a known cytotoxic agent, the response in the MTT bioassay using turkey peripheral lymphocytes was linear with increasing concentrations of toxin. Gliotoxin may potentially cause immunosuppression in turkey poults through action on the lymphocytes or if this toxin were present in low concentrations stimulation could possibly occur.