Penicillium

On This Page • • • • What Is Penicillium Mold? This family of molds was first identified in 1809 in a book by German naturalist Johann Heinrich Friedrich Link. Most of the estimated 300 or more species produce blue, green or yellow spores, and are one of the most common causes of fruit and vegetable spoilage. Spores are mostly spread in the air, and grow best in cool or moderate climates and damp environments. Some species of Penicillium are extremely useful in the production of certain meats, cheeses and antibiotics like Penicillin, which comes from Penicillium chrysogenum. Where Is It Commonly Found? Penicillium is found all over the world in cool, What Are the Health Effects? Like many molds, Penicillium can threaten those with weak or compromised immune systems, causing allergic reactions or infections. Some species produce mycotoxins which are known carcinogens. Others species cause measurable organ damage when inhaled. When ingested, one species, called Penicillium marneffei, can cause serious infections that affect the lungs, kidneys, spleen, liver and bone marrow. How to Remove and Prevent Penicillium Mold Like most molds, Penicillium can only grow where there’s sufficient moisture. Some molds grow best in homes with high relative humidity, which is easy to fix: Open windows or install a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) in a cool climate, or run your air conditioning in hot regions. Pencillium has relatively low moisture needs, sometimes growing in homes with normal ...

Description and Natural Habitats With only one exception ( Penicillium marneffei, which is thermally dimorphic), the members of the genus Penicillium are filamentous fungi. Penicillium spp. are widespread and are found in soil, decaying vegetation, and the air. Showing again how it is distinct from other species in this genus, Penicillium marneffei is endemic specifically in Southeast Asia where it infects bamboo rats which serve as epidemiological markers and reservoirs for human infections. Penicillium spp. other than Penicillium marneffei are commonly considered as contaminants but may cause infections, particularly in immunocompromised hosts. Penicillium marneffei is pathogenic particularly in patients with AIDS and its isolation from blood is considered as an HIV marker in endemic areas. In addition to their infectious potential, Penicillium spp. are known to produce mycotoxins [ Penicillium spp. have telemorphs included in genera Eupenicillium, Talaromyces, Hamigera, and Trichocoma. Species The genus Penicillium has several species. The most common ones include Penicillium chrysogenum, Penicillium citrinum, Penicillium janthinellum, Penicillium marneffei, and Penicillium purpurogenum. Identification to species level is based on macroscopic morphology and microscopic features [ See the summary of species and synonyms for the Pathogenicity and Clinical Significance Penicillium spp. are occasional causes of infection in humans and the resulting disease is known generica...

• • Menu Toggle • • • • Menu Toggle • • • • Menu Toggle • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Menu Toggle • • • • • • • • Menu Toggle • • • Menu Toggle • • • • • • • • • • • • Menu Toggle • • • Menu Toggle • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Menu Toggle • • • • • • • • • Menu Toggle • • Menu Toggle • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Menu Toggle • • • • • • • • Menu Toggle • • • • Menu Toggle • • • • • Menu Toggle • • • • • • Menu Toggle • • Link 1809 What is Penicillium? With over 300 accepted species, the Penicillium genus includes some of the most frequently isolated molds in the world. Penicilli (the common name given to fungi from this genus) are saprophytic fungi common in soil, on decaying plant debris, compost, grains, and rotting fruit. Indoors, they can be found on wallpaper and house fabrics, house dust, and water-damaged buildings in general. (1,2) Penicillium fungi are common allergens, triggering such reactions as hypersensitivity pneumonitis and hay fever. It can also exacerbate asthma symptoms. While Penicillium is typically non-pathogenic, there are a few exceptions. Some Penicillium species are capable of producing microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOCs) and toxins that can be harmful, especially upon long-term exposure. Their colonies range from blue-green to white, yellow, and Penicillium genus are also the source of the first produced antibiotic – penicillin (3,4). Figure 1. Penicillium purpurogenum agar culture (Photo source: Eyzaguirre J. y cols., Who discove...

Jos Houbraken, ... Robert A. Samson, in Advances in Applied Microbiology, 2014 4.1.3Recent name changes of biotechnologically important Penicillium species Penicillium species are commonly occurring and have given us penicillin, mycophenolic acid, compactin, fungal steroid transformations, white and blue cheeses, fermented salamis, pigments, and extracellular enzymes. Most of the well-known Penicillium species belong to the newly defined genus and are known under their Penicillium name. These changes in taxonomy due to the new nomenclatural rules therefore do not have a large impact in the field of biotechnology and applied research. However, this is not the case for Penicillium species that belong to the redefined Talaromyces. For example, Penicillium purpurogenum and P. funiculosum belong to the redefined genus Talaromyces and are named T. purpurogenus and T. funiculosus, respectively ( Samson et al., 2011). Both species are important species in biotechnology for their ability to produce extracellular enzymes (e.g., xylanases and cellulases) and pigments, which are used as natural colorants ( Belancic, Scarpa, Peirano, & Diaz, 1995; Jeya et al., 2010; Mapari, Meyer, Thrane, & Frisvad, 2009; Steiner, Socha, & Eyzaguirre, 1994; Zou et al., 2012). Recent revision of the taxonomy of P. purpurogenum showed that this species is a complex consisting of four taxa: T. purpurogenus, T. ruber (syn. P. rubrum), T. amestolkiae, and T. stollii. From a biotechnological point of view, i...

Penicillins are a group of antibacterial drugs that attack a wide range of bacteria. They were the first drugs of this type that doctors used. The discovery and manufacture of penicillins have changed the face of medicine, as these drugs have saved millions of lives. Penicillium fungi are the source of penicillin, which people can take orally or via injection. People across the globe now widely use penicillins to treat infections and diseases. Share on Pinterest Penicillins work by bursting the cell wall of bacteria. Drugs in the penicillin class work by indirectly bursting bacterial cell walls. They do this by acting directly on peptidoglycans, which play an essential structural role in bacterial cells. Peptidoglycans create a mesh-like structure around the plasma membrane of bacterial cells, which increases the strength of the cell walls and prevents external fluids and particles from entering the cell. When a bacterium multiplies, small holes open up in its cell walls as the cells divide. Newly-produced peptidoglycans then fill these holes to reconstruct the walls. Penicillins As the water concentration of the surrounding fluid is higher than that inside the bacterium, water rushes through the holes into the cell and the bacterium bursts. People generally attribute the discovery of penicillins to Alexander Fleming. The story goes that he returned to his laboratory one day in September 1928 to find a Petri dish containing Staphylococcus bacteria with its lid no longer in...

Penicillium is a genus consisting of a group of fungi, which include 354 accepted species. Some Penicillium species are considered doctor fungus as some of the members produce antibiotics, which can inhibit the growth of certain bacteria. Penicillium species are ubiquitous, where many produce potential mycotoxins, few produce medically useful antibiotics, and some are important in Penicillium species are also termed “ Deuteroalsomycetes or Fungi imperfecti”. Among the group of Penicillium species, excluding P.marneffei, all are filamentous in structure. This post discusses the classification, structure (including macroscopic and microscopic features, characteristics and some interesting facts about Penicillium. Content: Penicillium • • • • • • Penicillium Classification • Kingdom: Fungi • Division: Ascomycota • Class: Eurotiomycetes • Order: Eurotiales • Family: Trichomaceae • Genus: Penicillium Structure of Penicillium By focussing on both macroscopic and microscopic features, one can easily examine the morphology of Penicillium. Macroscopic Features All the species (except P. marneffi) show the following similar features: • Colony: Fast-growing and flat in appearance. • Colony texture: Appears velvety or cottony. • Colour of the colony: Initially appears white and later turns blue-green, olive-grey. P. marneffi produces flat, radially sulcate colonies. The colour of the colony towards the centre appears bluish-green and white at the periphery after incubation at a temper...

Know about penicillin's discovery by Alexander Fleming and development by Ernst Chain and Howard Florey and its success in treating the wounded in World War II The several kinds of penicillin synthesized by various species of the mold semisynthetic penicillins (those in which the structure of a chemical substance—6-aminopenicillanic acid—found in all penicillins is altered in various ways). Because it is possible to change the characteristics of the antibiotic, different types of penicillin are produced for different therapeutic purposes. The naturally occurring penicillins, penicillin G (benzylpenicillin) and penicillin V (phenoxymethylpenicillin), are still used clinically. Because of its poor stability in acid, much of penicillin G is broken down as it passes through the All penicillins work in the same way—namely, by Some strains of previously susceptible bacteria, such as Staphylococcus, have developed a specific resistance to the naturally occurring penicillins; these bacteria either produce β-lactamase ( Staphylococcus as the natural penicillins, and they are associated with an increased risk for liver toxicity. Moreover, some strains of Staphylococcus have become resistant to penicillinase-resistant penicillins; an example is Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).