A lot of people are familiar with bacteria and viruses, but fungi are much less well-known and understood. Fungi are just as important as bacteria and viruses because they can cause human disease.
Fungi are all around us, and though we can, and do eat some of them, and use them in everyday products, some of them are quite harmful to human health, so today, we will explain exactly what fungi are, and which ones are safe and harmful for humans.
What Are Fungi?
Fungus is the singular form, and fungi are the plural form. For a long time, scientists and biologists considered fungi to be plants, but these days, they are considered to be organisms and living things, though not plants. There are over 100,000 fungal species known today.
“Scientists learned that fungi show a closer relation to animals, but are unique and separate life forms… (so) fungi are placed in their own Kingdom…The part of the fungus that we see is only the fruit of the organism. The living body of the fungus is a mycelium made out of a web of tiny filaments called hyphae. The mycelium is usually hidden in the soil, in wood, or another food source. A mycelium may fill a single ant or cover many acres. The branching hyphae can add over a half-mile (1 km) of total length to the mycelium each day. These webs live unseen until they develop mushrooms, puffballs, truffles, brackets, cups, bird nests, corals or other fruiting bodies” (“What are Fungi?”, Department of Biology Intermountain Herbarium College of Science Utah State University).
Fungi are parasitic, but science has discovered a type of fungi that actually gives and takes; it gives nutrients to its host, and in exchange, it receives what the plant naturally produces, carbohydrates. This fungus is called mycorrhiza. In general, fungi live off of their host, and like parasites, they harm it in some way; parasites take nutrients that the host needs to survive, and they can even kill their host.
Fungi are neither truly plants nor animals; they are a mix of both, though they act more like animals than plants. Fungi do not go through photosynthesis or contain the green pigment chlorophyll as plants do. Fungi can also be multicellular (like molds) or unicellular/single-celled (such as yeast). Fungal cells can vary greatly, and have simple structures of around six components, or have as many components as animal and plant cells.
Fungi, like humans and plants, are considered to be living things, and they contain DNA and a nucleus. Fungi also have small RNA pathways that allow them to reproduce or create more new fungi.
Fungi That Are Safe For Humans
Many fungi are safe to eat and use in everyday life. Fungi are used regularly on foods like pizza, as well as to make bread, beer, pastries, cider, liquor, wine, and natural food colorants. Other foods that are often made with fungi are pasta, sandwiches, soybean-based products, miso, and other soups.
“Humans have collected and grown mushrooms for food for thousands of years…Yeasts are used in bread baking and brewing alcoholic beverages. Other fungi are used in fermenting a wide variety of foods, including soy sauce, tempeh, and cheeses. Blue cheese has its distinctive appearance and flavor because of the fungus growing through it” (“8.15 Use of Fungi”, CK-12).
Outside of food products, fungi are used as a medicine, though this is a secret that few people know about. In an article written by Kallyani Godani for Biology Discussion, the author explains in great detail how fungi are used in antibiotics (including penicillin), as an immunosuppressor, to lower cholesterol, to make pregnancy and delivery smoother, to create steroids and enzymes, and for insect pest control (“Top 6 Fungal Products Obtained from Fungal Biotechnology”, Kallyani Godani, Biology Discussion).
Fungi That Cause Disease In Humans
Some fungi can be very useful and beneficial for us, but some can also be quite harmful. An example of some harmful fungi includes molds and mildew. Other fungi create diseases such as ringworm, athlete’s foot, and yeast infections (such as candida and vaginal infections).
The CDC website also lists other common fungal infections and diseases that humans may suffer from includes mycetoma, meningitis, pneumonia, mold-induced illnesses, blastomycosis, valley fever, histoplasmosis, paracoccidioidomycosis, sporotrichosis, talaromycosis, and nail, toenail, and eye infections (“Types of Fungal Diseases”, CDC).
Conclusion/Final Thoughts
Fungi may be parasitic, but they come in many varieties; some varieties have made our lives easier and more exciting (wine and spirits), but like many things in life, fungi can be a double-edged sword. Some fungi can be quite harmful to humans and even lead to death, such as the ones that cause meningitis (some people die from meningitis within a day). In order to protect ourselves from harmful fungi, we must understand what they are, and which ones cause disease. Knowledge is power, so take the information from this article and use it to give yourself the best health possible!
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