What is Fusarium graminearum?

On June 3, 2025, U.S. federal prosecutors charged two Chinese nationals with smuggling Fusarium graminearum into the United States—a biological pathogen classified as a potential agricultural terrorism weapon. The U.S. Department of Justice stated the pathogen was brought in under the guise of research.

• According to the FBI, Fusarium graminearum is the leading cause of Fusarium head blight (FHB) in the U.S., a devastating disease that affects cereal crops like wheat, barley, maize, and rice.

• The fungus strikes early in the growing season, causing grain shriveling and whitening of crop heads. It is notorious for producing deoxynivalenol—a mycotoxin also known as vomitoxin—which makes crops unsafe for consumption by humans and animals.

• Vomitoxin can cause vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, headache, and fever. In livestock, it particularly affects feed safety, leading to major agricultural losses. Globally, F. graminearum is responsible for billions of dollars in economic damage annually.

• While other fungi can also cause FHB, F. graminearum is the most prevalent strain in the United States, raising significant concerns about its unauthorized import.

(Sources: BS & TH)