Pathogen of the Week: Fungus

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Pathogen of the Week: Fungus

By AMBER HSIAO

Contributing Writer

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

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http://www.dailycal.org/article.php?id=19464

Opening your refrigerator and finding colonies of fuzzy colors

covering your food is all too familiar to many of us. Many are

familiar with shoving your leftovers to the back of the fridge, only

to find out weeks later that what was once spaghetti has now become

an undistinguishable mass of mushy noodles and discolored tomato

sauce, covered with green and purple fuzz.

This fuzz of course, is more commonly known as mold. Though there

are several types of food molds, typically bluish-green to green

molds are usually Penicillium or Aspergillus; black to dark brown

molds are usually Cladosporium herbarum, Alternaria alternata,

Aspergillus niger, Cladosporium sphaerospermum or Stachybotrys

chartarum, which is highly toxic.

Lastly, the reddish or pink molds are usually Fusarium species. With

a proper growing medium—in this case food—mold can grow anywhere as

long as the conditions are livable.

The environment need only be sufficiently moist and warm to provide

a home for these fungi.

Like mushrooms, molds reproduce by releasing spores into the air

that can land on your food. Soon enough, if enough time passes, they

will settle into their new home, creating thin roots called mycelium

that spread throughout the food. Once the root is planted, the stalk

portion of the mold fungus that appears on the surface of the food

begins to produce spores and take its shape in the typical mold we

see all too often.

Though there are some foods where mold growth is intentionally

induced, such as cheese, most unintentional mold growth that is

consumed in significant amounts can have dire consequences, ranging

from sickness to diarrhea and even death. Even taking a whiff of a

moldy piece of food can be dangerous if you are allergic to mold.

Undesirable molds produce mycotoxins, which are toxins produced by

some fungi, though not all. Mycotoxins are produced around the

mycelium of the mold, penetrating deeply into the food.

Additionally, mycotoxins can survive for long periods of time in

food and usually cannot be destroyed through cooking processes.

Depending on the type of food, a different mycotoxin may be present.

So the next time you reach into your refrigerator for a piece of

bread and find that it's been overtaken by fuzzy green colonies,

think twice about stuffing it into your mouth, even if it's the last

thing in your fridge.

Contact Amber Hsiao at science@....