eli5 how does bread mould actually hurt people? Penicillium isn’t poisonous to humans, so does it just wreck the gut biome?
In: Biology
There are over 300 different species of penicillium. Some of them are toxic while others are not. For example penicillium verrucosum is commonly found in grain and grain products like bread and produces ochratoxin A which reduces your immune system, leads to kidney failure, causes development issues in organs and will also cause cancer. There are also other fungus and microbes that infest old bread. The toxins produced by the penicillium fungus is primarily trying to get rid of these and the other fungus and microbes makes toxins targeting the penicillium. When conditions are right for mold to grow on your bread they are also right for the other microbes. The mold could even be one of the other fungus other then penicillium. Chances are that some of these are toxic. In addition to these issues the fungus can actually start growing in your lungs, or the other microbes can infect you in other ways.
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