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Penicillium (/ ˌ p ɛ n ɪ ˈ s ɪ l i əm /) is a genus of ascomycetous fungi that is part of the mycobiome of many species and is of major importance in the natural environment, in food spoilage, and in food and drug production.
Penicillium spp. commonly grow on plant and animal debris on soil, and in senescing plant tissues. [6] In garlic, it is thought that the pathogen survives in infected cloves rather than the soil. [6] Initial infection usually occurs through wounded plant tissue caused by bruising, sun-scald, freezing injury or mechanical damage to the plant. [6]
The precise constitution of the penicillin extracted depends on the species of Penicillium mould used and on the nutrient media used to culture the mould. [8] Fleming's original strain of Penicillium rubens produces principally penicillin F, named after Fleming. But penicillin F is unstable, difficult to isolate, and produced by the mould in ...
The mold Penicillium is used to produce the antibiotic penicillin. Almost half of all members of the phylum Ascomycota form symbiotic associations with algae to form lichens. Others, such as morels (a highly prized edible fungi), form important mycorrhizal relationships with plants, thereby providing enhanced water and nutrient uptake and, in ...
Fungi, mainly moulds like Penicillium and Aspergillus, spoil many stored foods. Fungi cause the majority of plant diseases, which in turn cause serious economic losses. Sometimes, as in the Great Irish Famine of 1845–1849, fungal diseases of plants, in this case potato blight caused by Phytophthora, result in large-scale human suffering ...
Fungi have been used to make many antibiotics since Sir Alexander Flemming discovered Penicillin from the mold, Penicillium notatum. [25] [26] Recently, there has been a renewed interest in using fungi to create antibiotics since many bacteria have obtained antibiotic resistance due to the heavy selection pressures that antibiotics cause. [25]
An experimental nasal spray has helped clear toxic protein buildups in the brains of mouse models of Alzheimer's. Its developers believe the spray may help delay Alzheimer's by at least a decade.
Prominent and important genera of filamentous ascomycetes include Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium, and Claviceps. Many ascomycete species have only been observed undergoing asexual reproduction (called anamorphic species), but analysis of molecular data has often been able to identify their closest teleomorphs in the Ascomycota. [165]