KSEPYML%TUDRVA.TUDELFT.NL@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU (08/17/89)
From: KSEPYML%TUDRVA.TUDELFT.NL@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU
I got your address from Bill Thacker, who suggested that my question
could be answered by sci.military people.
I am interested in the use of mycotoxines in biological warfare. Especially,
some info on mycotoxines obtained from the 'fusarium-family'.
Alos, some general info would be appreciated. How difficult is it to obtain
these substances, what laws prohibit selling these etc. etc.
I need this info for an article concerning the attempts of the Iran Government
to buy the raw materials for producing these mycotoxines. Very recently they
tried this in the Netherlands. They also tried to buy in Canada. Does somebody
knows something of these attempts.
Any info concerning this subject would be highly appreciated.
Since I am not a member of your newsgroup, would it be possible to send
all reactions to:
KSEPYML@TUDVRA.TUDELFT.NL
or
KSEPYML@HDETUD51.BITNET
Regards: Xander.eesnyder@ncar.UCAR.EDU (Eric E. Snyder) (08/18/89)
From: eesnyder@ncar.UCAR.EDU (Eric E. Snyder) In article <26805@amdcad.AMD.COM> KSEPYML%TUDRVA.TUDELFT.NL@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU writes: >I am interested in the use of mycotoxines in biological warfare. Especially, >some info on mycotoxines obtained from the 'fusarium-family'. I am aware of at least one reference on the use of nivalenol (T-2 toxin derivative from _Fusarium tricinctum_) in Southeast Asia: Wade, N. Science 214: 34 (1981). >Alos, some general info would be appreciated. How difficult is it to obtain >these substances, what laws prohibit selling these etc. etc. Mycotoxins are not difficult to obtain. In the US, there is no special regulation of these compounds for use in research. T-2 and other trichlothecenes are available from Sigma Chemical Company (St. Louis, MO), for example, 25 mg T-2 Toxin for $107.20. Now 25 mg is not much but these substances are so unbelievably toxic, it does not take much! Aflatoxin and derivatives are also available and in somewhat larger quantities. I first learned of these compounds from a package incert from Sigma _advertising_ the availability of trichothecenes! >I need this info for an article concerning the attempts of the Iran Government >to buy the raw materials for producing these mycotoxines. Trichothecenes are chemically quite complex. It would probably be easier to grow _Fusarium_ mold in deep culture and extract the toxins chromatographically. Aflatoxins are not so difficult. A friend of my in the chemistry dept at Johns Hopkins was working on a biomimetic synthesis of aflatoxins as an undergraduate! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- AAGGTGCAATGATGAGGAATTTTATCGTAGTTATGAATAATCCTGCAAGAGGTGCAAAACCCAGAGTACCTCA Eric E. Snyder Department of Molecular, I thought it was rain for a minute; Cellular and Developmental Biology I thought the game had been called. University of Colorado, Boulder TTCCACGTTACTACTCCTTAAAATAGCATCAATACTTATTAGGACGTTCTCCACGTTTTGGGTCTCATGGAGT -------------------------------------------------------------------------