Aureobasidium is a genus of fungi. These molds grow on plant debris, wood, and cloth. They can adversely effect indoor air quality.
These fungi may cause respiratory infections.
People often develop allergies to molds of this genus.
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Members of the Cladosporium genus are particularly important for allergy sufferers. This mold can be a major trigger for allergies, and can be a reap problem for people with asthma or other respiratory diseases.
Prolonged exposure may weaken the immune system.
The good news is two-fold: Cladosporiums do not produce problematic mycotoxin, and they smell bad. Their bad smell is an advantage as they are less likely to go unnoticed.
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Epicoccum is a sooty mold that is especially prevelent in cool and moist weather conditions.
Epicoccum mold is common in soil and food. It is the usual cause of leaf spots on plants.
The only species in the Epicoccum genus is Epicoccum purpurascens.
People often develop allergies to molds of this species.
The image of epicoccum mold is though a microscope at 400X magnification. Thanks to www.enius.de for the image.
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Fusarium is a genus of mold with many species. It is common in soil. Most are harmless, but some produce mycotoxins which can effect your health. Members of the genus are a common cause of plant disease.
People often develop allergies to molds of this genus.
One species of Fusarium, fusarium venenatum, is produced as human food, and marketed under the trade name Quorn.
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Mycotoxins are poisons produced by fungi , such as
molds, mushrooms and yeasts.
Myotoxins can appear in food, which is one cause of food poisoning. They can cause indoor air quality problems when certain molds grow in buildings.
Myotoxins fall into several groups including Aflatoxins, Ochratoxin A, Patulin and Fusarium.
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Mucor is a genus of molds consisting of roughly 40 species. They are found in soil, plant surfaces, an in rotting vegetable matter.
People often develop allergies to molds of this genus.
Most species are unable to infect humans because they can not grow at body temperature.
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Penicillium is a genus of mold.
Some species are used in food production, for example Penicillium camemberti which is used to make Brie and Camembert cheeses.
People often develop allergies to molds of this genus.
Penicillium chrysogenum is especially useful – and dangerous – as it is used to produce the antibiotic Penicillin.
Some species of Penicillium are toxic, producing the carcinogenic toxin ochratoxin.
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Rhizopus is a genus of mold that is often associated with allergies. It can be found in soil, decaying fruit and vegetables, animal feces, and old bread.
People often develop allergies to molds of this genus.
Rhizopus oligosporus is used to make tempeh, a food made of fermented soy beans.
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There are thousands of species of mold in the world, living in all types of conditions. Some of the most important species relating to allergies, health and food are listed here.
Some mold species are toxic, some are carcinogenic, others are safe, edible, and consumed by people all over the world on purpose. Various types of cheese are an excellent example of food that contains safe mold.
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