February 19

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February 19 Ergot and Ergotism Some of historys
real mysteries!
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Ergot caused by Claviceps purpurea
Ergot is a fungus disease of grasses - especially
feed grains - which causes each infected seed
heads to develop a hard, black fungus body at
where a seed should have formed.
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Club heads where Spores are produced
Sclerotium
Sclerotia fall to the ground in late summer and
they lay there all winter Long, unitil new host
plants begin to grow in spring. Then, just about
the Time that the hosts flower, the C. purpurea
casts its spores into the air.
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Some spores will infect the new flowers and -
like pollen grains -grow into the host ovary.
Butinstead of fertilizing the egg, they infect
the tissue and grow to produce asexual spores in
drops of honeydew.
Honeydew - nectar Containing asexual Spores of
the ergot fungus
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Ergot sclerotia can easily be Harvested along
with good grain
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Ergot alkaloids in the sclerotia and their
effects on mammalian systems

• Ergotamine-vasoconstrictor, dry gangrene
• Ergonovine-spontaneous abortion
• Ergine and lysergic acid-hallucinations and spasms

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Gangrenous Ergotism of horses hoof.
Gangrenous ergotism of humanfoot/toes
Gangrenous ergotism is caused by those alkaloids
that stop blood flow to extremities
and eventually lead to dry gangrene.
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Convulsive ergotism is caused by the alkaloids
ergine and lysergic Acid.
Convulsive ergotism
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Ergotism was also known as St. Anthonys
Fire because a religious order dedicated to St.
Anthonys memory became skilled at
treating victims of ergotism.
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Dr. Albert Hofmann Of Sandoz Labs in Switzerland
discovered derivative No. 25 of Lysergic acid
from ergotand the saga of LSD was off and
running!
Albert Hofmann
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Mary Matossian made a good case for the
possible role of ergotism in various medieval
mysteries like witchcraft, hysterical dancing,
werewolves, etc.
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Connections of ergot with witchcraft 1.
Symptoms were real, not imagined 2.
Symptoms like those of ergotism 3.
Children teens most affected 4.
Geographic distribu tion of episodes consis
tent with use of rye and sites favorable
for disease
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Ergot Management Is your food supply at risk
from this fungus? Fall plowing (to bury
sclerotia) Rigorous inspection (by USDA and
by food/grain distributors Crop rotation