First report of mycophenolic acid production by Eurotium repens isolated from agricultural and indoor environments

Abstract

Mycophenolic acid is considered as an immunosuppressive pharmaceutical drug, but also as a mycotoxin due to its undesirable presence in various feedstuffs. Although Penicillium brevicompactum has been historically identified as the major producer of mycophenolic acid, this study reports for the first time the production of mycophenolic acid by isolates of Eurotium repens collected from agricultural and indoor environments. Fungal identification was achieved by scanning electron microscopy and molecular techniques, and mycophenolic acid production was confirmed by two analytical methods (gas and liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry). These findings suggest that mycophenolic acid production and immunosuppressive properties of other closely related Eurotium should be evaluated in future studies.