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Mycotoxins - Common Species of Mold
Mycotoxins spp
- During the digestion of substrates, fungi secrete enzymes into nutrients
in order to break down complex compounds into simpler compounds that
can be taken up by the fungi and used as nutrition. These digested nutrients
produce secondary metabolic byproducts called mycotoxins that are released
to give the fungi a competitive edge over other microorganisms and fungi.
Unfortunately, mycotoxins can also be incredibly toxic to humans causing
a variety of responses including cold/flu-like symptoms, sore throats,
headaches, nose bleeds, fatigue, diarrhea, dermatitis, and immune suppression.
Some mycotoxins may also be carcinogenic and teratogenic. Molds that
have been known to potentially produce these toxins are Acremonium,
Alternaria, Aspergillus, Chaetomium, Cladosporium, Fusarium, Penicillium,
and Stachybotrys.
- Even though these molds may potentially produce mycotoxins, they will
not do so unless specific environmental conditions exist. Currently,
it is unknown exactly what conditions promote the growth of mycotoxin
production and more scientific research needs to be conducted on this
topic for it to be fully understood.
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