Toxins 2015, 7(10), 4232-4237; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins7104232
Introduction to the Toxins Special Issue on Ergot Alkaloids
Department of Plant Pathology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546-0312, USA
Academic Editor: Vernon L. Tesh
Received: 8 October 2015 / Accepted: 15 October 2015 / Published: 20 October 2015
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ergot Alkaloids: Chemistry, Biology and Toxicology)
Note: In lieu of an abstract, this is an excerpt from the first page.
Excerpt
Ergot alkaloids are among the most relevant natural products in the history of toxins and pharmaceuticals. Until the late 20th century, human and livestock exposure to ergot alkaloids was primarily through ingestion of “ergots,” which are spur-shaped or seed-like resting structures (sclerotia) of ergot fungi, the Claviceps species. Because ergots have similar density to grains, traditional threshing techniques generally failed to remove them, and outbreaks of ergot typically led to mass poisonings. [...] View Full-Text
Graphical abstract
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MDPI and ACS Style
Schardl, C.L. Introduction to the Toxins Special Issue on Ergot Alkaloids. Toxins 2015, 7, 4232-4237.