Acute Inhalation Toxicity of T-2 Mycotoxin in Mice

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Acute Inhalation Toxicity of T-2 Mycotoxin in Mice1

D. A. CREASIA, J. D. THURMAN, L. J. JONES, III, M. L. NEALLEY, C. G.

YORK, R. W. WANNEMACHER, Jr. and D. L. BUNNER

Divisions of Palhophysiology, Pathology, and Airborne Diseases,

United Slates Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases

Fort Detrick, Frederick, land 21701-5011

Oxford University Press

http://toxsci.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/8/2/230

Acute Inhalation Toxicity of T-2 Mycotoxin in Mice. Creasia, D. A.,

THURMAN, J. D., JONES, L. J., III, NEALLEY, M. L., YORK, C. G.,

WANNEMACHER, R. W., Jr., and BUNNER, D. L. (1987). Fundam. Appl.

Toxicol. 8, 230–235. Experiments were conducted to study the acute

inhalation toxicity of T-2 mycotoxin in both young adult and mature

mice. For a 10-min aerosol exposure, the 24-hr LC50 of T-2 mycotoxin

in young adult mice was 0.08 ± 0.04 mg T-2/liter air and that for

mature mice was 0.325 ± 0.1 mg T-2/liter air. Deaths among mice

exposed to the higher aerosol concentrations used in this study

(i.e., 1.5 to 2.4 mg T-2/liter air) occurred in less than 5 hr.

General clinical symptoms in these animals immediately postexposure

were tremors, lethargy, stilted gait, and, in some animals,

prostration. In experiments separate from the concentration-response

studies, total deposition of T-2 aerosol and selective retention of

T-2 in the respiratory tract and nasal turbinates were determined

analytically from 3H-labeled T-2. When total deposition of T-2 was

quantitated, there was excellent agreement between that amount of T-

2 deposited and that amount of T-2 predicted from calculations based

on aerosol size and animal minute volume. Based on the aerosol

deposition data, the LD50 values of T-2 mycotoxins was 0.24 mg/kg

for young adult mice and 0.94 mg/kg for mature mice. For mice,

inhalation of T-2 mycotoxin is at least 10 times more toxic than

systemic administration (LD50 4.5 mg/kg) and at least 20 times more

toxic than dermal administration (LD50 > 10 mg/kg).