Ergometrine-producing ergot strain - in which ergometrine constitutes 90-100 of total alkaloids

摘要

Ergometrine-producing strain of ergot Claviceps purpurea Tul. having the following characteristics: (i) organic wort-agar nutrient media: white or yellowish-grey, loose cotton wool-like aerial mycelium with abundant spores, mycelium in the form of a dense smooth or corrugated or wrinkled film, no colouration of the medium; (ii) Waksman nutrient media: white or grey loose aerial mycelium with few spores, mycelial film less dense than on wort agar, difficult to separate from the medium, no colouration of the medium; (iii) mineral Winogradskiy medium and moist cellular tissue: no growth; (iv) spores on wort agar and Waksman media unicellular, oval, transparent, without marked structure, and variable in size (length 4-10 mu, width 2.5-5 mu); (v) produces ergometrine in an amount of 90-100% of the total ergot alkaoids, which constitute 0.15% of the dry weight of the ergot spurs. Ergometrine is a haemostatic agent used in obstetrics and gynaecology. The new strain of Claviceps purpurea has an ergometrine content 3-4 times higher than that of known strains, and thus substantially simplifies the production of ergometrine.