Natural contamination of spring barley with group A trichothecene mycotoxins in south-eastern Poland.

Strains (10705) of microscopic fungi were isolated from spring barley heads in the region of Lublin (south-eastern Poland). Fusarium sporotrichioides Sherb was found in 418 (3.9%) of isolated strains. Group A trichothecene mycotoxins were detected in the collected barley kernels colonized by F. sporotrichioides, with Fusarium head blight symptoms. Among 24 samples analysed, 12 were T-2 toxin positive in a range of contamination from 0.02 to 2.40 micrograms/g (average 0.45), while in five samples HT-2 toxin ranged from 0.01 to 0.37 micrograms/g (average 0.23) and T-2 tetraol was detected in two samples in a range of 0.01-0.21 micrograms/g (average 0.11). Twelve samples were free of detectable amounts of the toxic metabolites analysed.