Abstract: Fusarium is one of the fungal genera primarily producing mycotoxins. Fusarial toxins, mainly consisting of trichothecene, zearalenone and fumonisin, can cause psychological disorders or even cancers in humans or farmed animals. Their chemical structures and hazards and the molecular mechanisms behind their biosynthesis, together with the application of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for molecular detection of the mycotoxigenic Fusarium were reviewed in this paper. The significance of rapid molecular diagnosis methodology in early warning and pre-intervention of mycotoxic damage is highlighted. Furthermore, possible problems existing in the present PCR detection systems are presented as well as some strategies to tackle such obstacles and make the systems more reliable.

Key words: Fusarium, trichothecenes (TCTs), fumonisins (FUMs), zearalenone (ZEA), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), molecular diagnosis