ARTICLE ON BASIC MOLD BIOLOGY


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) here 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.

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 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? Molds produce 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 may result in organic toxic dust syndrome with flu-like symptoms.