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The Black Death and Other Pandemics
Published in Scott M. Jackson, Skin Disease and the History of Dermatology, 2023
Ergotism ravaged European societies throughout the Middle Ages and the early modern period. Yet, it remains a relevant condition for public health authorities today. There was an outbreak of what may have been ergotism as recently as 1951 in Pont-Saint-Esprit, France, which affected 250 persons with an acute psychiatric illness after ingesting poisoned bread. Interestingly, a compelling argument exists, supported by declassified documents, that the actual cause of the illness was CIA experiments with LSD on this population.77 In 2011–2012, 14 high school students in LeRoy, New York, began to collectively exhibit Tourette's syndrome-like behaviors with vocal and motor tics. Ergotism and other environmental poisonings were considered but ultimately ruled out; authorities concluded that conversion syndrome and/or mass hysteria were the cause.78 Ergotism is a fascinating phenomenon and a reminder that what we ingest can have major implications for us as individuals as well as for societies as a whole. The reader is referred to some extraordinary scholarship by Foscati on the entire subject of St. Anthony's Fire.79
St. Anthony's fire and leprosy
Published in Dinesh Kumar Jain, Homeopathy, 2022
Ergot is a fungus to which rye is particularly susceptible … The eating of bread made from contaminated rye was responsible in the past for many outbreaks of ergotism … The effects of ergotism are alarming and explain why the disease was once regarded with superstitious dread. The most usual symptoms of ergotism was gangrene which was a consequence of vasoconstriction and which resulted in fingers, toes or whole limbs becoming dried, shrivelled and black so that they sometimes fell off … It was for this reason (and perhaps also because the blackened limbs appeared to have been charred by fire) that ergotism was popularly known as St. Anthony's fire. St. Anthony's name was attached because it was believed that pilgrims to his shrine would be cured of this affliction. This promise did not go entirely unfulfilled for the act of pilgrimage ensured that the victim left the area in which the infected rye was growing. Ergotism is also associated with the occurrence of spontaneous abortions and with disturbance of central nervous function including convulsions and acute mania.
Ergot Alkaloids
Published in Dongyou Liu, Handbook of Foodborne Diseases, 2018
As the ergoline ring structure resembles that found in the biogenic amines, serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine, it allows ergot alkaloids to bind biogenic amine receptors and to alter circulation (through decreased serum prolactin and vasoconstriction) and neurotransmission [23]. The former accounts for common pathological syndromes (severe burning sensations, gangrene, and loss of limbs due to severely restricted blood circulation) of ergotism in humans and animals following ingestion of ergot-contaminated grains. The latter is responsible for causing hallucinations, convulsions, and even death.
Biosensors for the detection of mycotoxins
Published in Toxin Reviews, 2022
Akansha Shrivastava, Rakesh Kumar Sharma
Ergot alkaloids are the secondary metabolites of fungi and these are produced by various species of Claviceps. The effect of this group of alkaloids has been shown in the middle ages called "Holy Fire" or "St. Anthony’s Fire", also known as the disease ergotism. Other alkaloids include ergometrine, ergotamine, and ergotoxine (Crews 2015, Miedaner and Geiger 2015). There are two forms of ergotism: Gangrenous, which affects the blood supply to extremities and convulsive, and ultimately affects the central nervous system. The fungal species which produce these alkaloids include Claviceps purpurea (rye and other cereals), Claviceps paspali (forage grass), Claviceps fusiformis, Claviceps gigantea, and Sphacelia sorghi (an anamorphic form of Claviceps). The clinical symptoms of ergotism are a manifestation in the form of gangrene, abortion, convulsions, suppression of lactation, and hypersensitivity (Berthiller et al. 2017). The ingestion of ergot occurs through infected cereals, commonly in the form of bread produced from contaminated flour. A recently reported another alkaloid from the same class, purpurolic acid from plant-parasitic sclerotia of Claviceps purpurea has been reported and considered as highly toxic for animal feed (Roberts et al. 2016). Ergot alkaloids contamination has been reported in rye food, wheat food, multigrain food, rye feed, wheat feed, and triticale feed. Among these samples, rye feed contained the highest amount of ergot alkaloids, i.e. 12,340 µg/kg (Malysheva et al. 2014).
Comparative study on the metabolism of the ergot alkaloids ergocristine, ergocryptine, ergotamine, and ergovaline in equine and human S9 fractions and equine liver preparations
Published in Xenobiotica, 2019
Wiebke Rudolph, Daniela Remane, Dirk K. Wissenbach, Frank T. Peters
The symbiosis of certain fungi and pasture grasses can be beneficiary for the plants reducing various biotic and abiotic stress factors. Part of these effects result from the production of toxic alkaloids by the colonizing fungi. One group of alkaloids relevant in this context are the ergopeptine alkaloids like ergotamine or ergovaline. The mechanism of ergovaline toxicity is not fully understood, but this alkaloid probably has vasoconstrictory effects being a partial agonist at 5-HT receptors and α-adrenoreceptors as well as an agonist at D2-receptors (Cross et al., 1995; Gooneratne et al., 2012; Strickland et al., 2011). Altogether, the symptomatology of ergovaline poisoning is very similar to ergotism, which is caused by ergotamine. However, ergotism is only rarely reported these days (Klotz et al., 2008). Ergovaline is suspected to be a causative agent for fescue toxicosis (FT), a disease of grazing animals characterized in horses by symptoms like prolonged gestation, dystocia, decreased serum prolactin with reduced milk production up to agalactia, weak and dysmature foals, generally reduced pregnancy rates, and intolerance to heat with extensive sweating. Its vasoconstrictory effects are further thought to be responsible for development of the so called fescue foot associated with swelling around fetlocks and hoof region, lameness, and gangrene of ears and tails especially in cattle (Cross et al., 1995; Strickland et al., 2009).
The discovery and development of inhaled therapeutics for migraine
Published in Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery, 2019
Nicolas Vandenbussche, Peter J Goadsby
The alkaloid analgesic ergotamine was first extracted from Claviceps purpurea, a parasitic fungus well-known as the cause of St. Anthony’s Fire (a form of ergotism) in the Middle Ages attracted from eating moldy bread [17,18]. Its use in migraine was established in the early twentieth century and is renowned as one of the first successful migraine specific therapies. Sadly, the drug is also known for its difficult use in clinical practice in terms of drug delivery, unfavorable side effects, and tolerability profile. Ergotism, vasoconstriction, and nausea are a few of the most prominent and feared side effects. Ergotamine has several pharmacokinetic disadvantages through the classical oral or nasal routes including poor oral bioavailability, first pass metabolism, and unpredictable pharmacokinetics [19,20].