The diverse fungal organisms on planet earth form an entire large grouping of related organisms know as the fungi kingdoms. The terms mold and mould are typically used to describe only a small subset of this much larger kingdom.
What are fungi? Fungi are eukaryotic organisms, which means unlike bacteria they all have true cells with at least one nucleus in the cell and that nucleus is inside a nuclear membrane. The other cell organelles also are in membranes. Fungi are not photosynthetic like plants; thus, they cannot make their own food using sunlight and carbon dioxide like plants. But like bacteria and plants, the fungi have rigid cell walls, and like bacteria and some primitive plants (Mosses, liverworts, and ferns), molds produce spores for reproduction.
Fungi can be microscopic, one-celled organisms, such as yeasts, or large macroscopic organisms, such as giant mushrooms.
According to the fifth kingdom (a popular mycology textbook) there are one hundred thousand known fungi species; there may be as many as 1 to 1.7 million species of fungi if we include estimated numbers of fungi not yet discovered. During a mold inspection service investigation, only a dozen or so different types are typically encountered.
Fungi are saprophytes. In other words, they release enzymes onto the substrate which they are growing in order to dissolve and eat that substrate. They share this characteristic with bacteria. In nature, two of mold’s favorite foods are moist dead wood and soil rich with decaying organic matter. During a mold inspection, we find that most molds will grow on drywall paper found on both surfaces of wet drywall. The reason for this is that drywall paper is made of one of molds favorite foods, wood.
Several species of mold commonly grow on water damaged building materials. The volatile organic compounds or odors they produce, and the spores they release often result in allergy or asthma like reactions in home owners and office building occupants.
Some fungi are infectious, growing inside or on other living things. Some of the fungi cause ring worm, athlete’s foot, Candida yeast infections, valley fever, and most common sinus infections.
A few infectious fungi have the ability to grow as a fuzzy white decay fungus or (saprophyte) at room temperature. The same molds will grow as a disease causing yeast-like pathogen when incubated at body temperature. These fungi are called dimorphic which means two body types and they can result in serious and sometimes fatal illness when growing in the human body in its infectious yeast form. These fungi are not typically found or identified during mold testing or a mold inspection service investigation. Most are found in pigeon or starling bird droppings, or in bat droppings, other types live in dry soils of the South Western U.S. and South America.
It appears that in order to keep from being eaten, various types of fungi produce toxic chemicals known as mycotoxins. We know of at least 200 types of mycotoxins. Toxic molds containing mycotoxins are very dangerous or even deadly to humans and livestock when eaten in moldy foods.
When you feel sick because of mold in your home, it is not likely to be from mycotoxins. It is usually an allergic reaction or asthmatic reaction. Molds cause many minor and many serious allergy and asthma problems. Please see your doctor for verification. Why do molds cause allergies? Mold produces proteins that many people and even pets’ immune systems see as an invading pathogen, the immune system over reacts to these harmless mold proteins attempts to get rid of them or destroy them, and as a result your own bodies immune system makes you feel sick. It is a fact that many persons die each year in America from asthma attacks.
Mycotoxins (being large, low-volatile chemicals) do not readily evaporate into the air, and antigens (being proteins) obviously are not likely to evaporate either; thus, one has to breathe in mold spores or other mold parts to have an allergic reaction to fungi. One typically has to eat fungi-contaminated food to be poisoned by mycotoxins. Breathing in very large amounts of spores in industrial settings or during mold removal also known as mold remediation may result in organic toxic dust syndrome with flu-like symptoms.
Long term exposure to mold, bacteria, or thermophilic actinomycets (a cross between fungus and bacteria), may result in hypersensitivity pneumonia, a type of industrial-strength allergic condition with possible pneumonia-like symptoms.
Author’s Note: This article previously published here.
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Daryl Watters is president of A Accredited Mold Inspection Service, Inc. He provides home, mold, and indoor air quality testing in South Florida. He is also the creator of MIR forms designed to aid inspectors in the production of computer generated indoor air quality and mold inspection reports. For more inspection and testing information visit:
http://www.floridamoldinspectors.us/Daryl-Watters-Mold-Inspector-CV.htm
http://www.floridamoldinspectors.us/
http://www.florida-mold-inspection.com/
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