Improvement of detection sensitivity of T-2 and HT-2 toxins using different fluorescent labeling reagents by high-performance liquid chromatography.

T-2 toxin is a mycotoxin produced by several species of common fungi capable of infesting human food and animal feeds. T-2 toxin and its metabolite HT-2 are acutely toxic to animals. Sensitive detection of T-2 and HT-2 toxins is somewhat limited because these compounds do not fluoresce and do not have a strong ultraviolet or visible absorption band. This report describes the development of sensitive methods to detect both T-2 toxin and HT-2 toxins by labeling them with one of several novel fluorescent tags. The tagged T-2 and HT-2 toxins are very stable and the fluorescence response of the tagged toxins is an improvement over previous labeling materials, resulting in more sensitive assays for these toxins.