Strains of <i>Penicillium camemberti</i> and <i>P. roqueforti</i> are used in the production of soft-ripened and blue-veined cheeses. However, some strains can produce toxic secondary metabolites (mycotoxins), including α-cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), a neurotoxin. Data on the levels of CPA in cheeses marketed in the USA are extremely limited. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was adapted for measuring CPA in soft-ripened and blue-veined cheeses. Recoveries from cheese curds were 103 ± 27% (<i>n</i> = 30). A total …

The Chaco wetland is among the most biologically diverse regions in Argentina. In collections of fungi from asymptomatic native grasses (Poaceae) from the wetlands, we identified isolates of <i>Fusarium</i> that were morphologically similar to <i>F. armeniacum</i>, but distinct from it by their production of abundant microconidia. All the isolates had identical, or nearly identical, partial sequences of <i>TEF1</i> and <i>RPB2</i>. But they were distinct from reference sequences from <i>F. armeniacum</i> and <i>Fu…