Alimentary toxic aleukia is a

mycotoxin A mycotoxin (from the Greek μύκης , "fungus" and τοξίνη , "toxin") is a toxic secondary metabolite produced by organisms of kingdom Fungi and is capable of causing disease and death in both humans and other animals. The term 'mycotoxin' ...

-induced condition characterized by nausea, vomiting, diarrhea,

leukopenia Leukopenia () is a decrease in the number of leukocytes (WBC). Found in the blood, they are the white blood cells, and are the body's primary defense against an infection. Thus the condition of leukopenia places individuals at increased risk of inf ...

(aleukia), hemorrhaging, skin inflammation, and sometimes death. Alimentary toxic aleukia almost always refers to the human condition associated with presence of

T-2 toxin T-2 Mycotoxin (pronounced as 'Tee-Two') is a trichothecene mycotoxin. It is a naturally occurring mold byproduct of ''Fusarium'' spp. fungus which is toxic to humans and animals. The clinical condition it causes is ''alimentary toxic aleukia'' ...

History

Alimentary toxic aleukia was first characterized in the early 20th century after affecting a large population in the

Orenburg Oblast Orenburg Oblast (russian: Оренбургская область, ''Orenburgskaya oblast'') is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Orenburg. From 1938 to 1957, it bore the name ''Chkalov Oblast'' () ...

of the former

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The sick people had eaten overwintered grain colonized with ''

Fusarium sporotrichioides ''Fusarium sporotrichioides'' is a fungus, fungal plant pathogen, one of various ''Fusarium'' species responsible for damaging crops, in particular causing a condition known as Fusarium head blight in wheat, consequently being of notable agricult ...

'' and ''

Fusarium poae ''Fusarium'' is a large genus of filamentous fungi, part of a group often referred to as hyphomycetes, widely distributed in soil and associated with plants. Most species are harmless saprobes, and are relatively abundant members of the soil mi ...

''.

References

Blood disorders {{disease-stub