THE FUNGAL MISSION OF BEING A ZERO, BUT STILL A HERO: CAN MOLD MAKE YOU SICK AND STILL TREAT YOU?







The good ol' double agent. Classic espionage.

No one likes a two faced person. Especially when the trick is on you.

One minute, they are good, the next they are bad.

But what about when your worst enemy becomes your greatest hero?

A bittersweet feeling?

Maybe it's time to get to know about this person, who has been with you, but you haven't known it

We’ve all been there, you open the bread bag, ready to make a sandwich, and boom! 💥, there it is. That fuzzy green invader and there you a squeezing your face in disappointment. 

Why Mold? Why? 😞...Now it's game over, lunch plans ruined.

But here’s the twist…what if I told you that the same type of organism responsible for ruining your toast is also responsible for saving millions of lives?

Yep. Mold is that much of a biological double agent. One day it’s trying to take over your leftovers, and the next, it’s being injected into someone to fight off a deadly infection.

So, which is it? Is mold friend or foe?

Let’s unpack the moldy truth.

🤢 First Things First: Can Mold Make You Sick?

The short answer? Yes, it can. But not always.

Most everyday mold is harmless to healthy people. But some types of mold, and certain situations, can mess with your health.

Here’s when mold becomes a problem:

1. Mold Allergies

Some people are just more sensitive to mold spores. If you’ve ever started sneezing or feeling congested in a damp, musty room, mold might be the culprit. Common reactions include:

  • Sneezing
  • Coughing
  • Itchy eyes
  • Runny nose

Basically, your immune system throws a mini tantrum when it detects mold in the air.

2. Toxic Mold (A Real Thing, But Overhyped)

You might’ve heard of “black mold” or “toxic mold.” The most famous one is Stachybotrys chartarum, which can produce mycotoxins, which are nasty chemicals produced by fungi, that can cause headaches, fatigue, or more serious issues if you're exposed to large amounts over time.

But despite the spooky headlines, toxic mold is:

  • Rare
  • Usually avoidable with good ventilation and cleanup
  • More dangerous to people with weakened immune systems or pre-existing conditions

3. Mold Infections (Super Rare)

In people with compromised immune systems, certain molds can actually cause infections. One well-known type is Aspergillus, which can lead to lung infections in vulnerable individuals.

So yes, mold can make you sick, but in most cases, it’s a low-key risk that’s easy to manage.

💉 Now for the Plot Twist: Mold Can Save Your Life

If you’ve ever taken penicillin, guess what? You’ve been helped by mold.

🍞 Enter: Moldy Bread and a Mistake That Changed the World



Alexander Fleming (Scottish physician and microbiologist)

Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Fleming

Back in 1928, Alexander Fleming was working in a lab when he noticed something weird, mold had accidentally grown on one of his petri dishes, and it seemed to be killing the bacteria around it.

That mold? Penicillium notatum.

That accidental discovery? The first true antibiotic.

Penicillin went on to:

  • Treat infections that used to be deadly (like pneumonia and syphilis)
  • Save an estimated 200+ million lives
  • Kickstart the age of antibiotics

Not bad for a fuzzy fungus growing on an old dish.

🧀 But Wait, Mold Does More Than Medicine

Besides antibiotics, mold is behind some of your favorite foods:

  • Blue cheese gets its signature veins from Penicillium roqueforti
  • Soy sauce and miso involve mold fermentation
  • Even salami often uses a protective mold coating

So mold isn’t just lurking, it’s cooking, healing, and flavoring things you probably love.

🧬 How Can the Same Mold Be Both Good and Bad?

It’s all about the species, the context, and the conditions.

  • Some molds produce helpful chemicals like antibiotics
  • Others release toxins or allergens
  • Some are fine on food; others are only safe in tightly controlled environments
  • Mold on your bread = no-go. Mold in a lab = possibly life-saving

It’s kind of like saying “bacteria are bad.” Some are. Some help you digest lunch. Others make yogurt. Biology isn’t black and white, it’s full of weird gray areas (and in mold’s case, sometimes green and fuzzy too).

🧠🧪 Final Thoughts from the Biolab desk: Mold Is a Fuzzy Paradox

Mold is one of those lifeforms that reminds us nature isn’t here to be convenient, it’s here to be complex.

  • One mold might trigger your allergies.
  • Another could be curing a bacterial infection halfway across the world.
  • A third might just be flavoring your fancy cheese.

So next time you toss a moldy slice of bread, take a second to appreciate that you’re throwing away a member of one of the weirdest, most important branches of the living world.

Not bad for a fungus that lives in your bread box. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FROM SIDEWALK CRACKS TO CORAL REEFS: KENYA'S BIODIVERSITY FROM CITY TO SEA

Image
  When you hear the word biodiversity, what pops into your head? Maybe lions in the Maasai Mara? Or coral reefs in Mombasa? Fair enough, those are definitely part of it. But here’s the thing, biodiversity is literally everywhere. It’s in the mold growing on your leftover ugali. It’s in the weeds pushing through the pavement in downtown Nairobi. It’s in the birds that wake you up before your alarm. Biodiversity just means all the different kinds of life, from plants, animals, insects, fungi, microbes and many more, and how they all interact to keep nature running. So, since it’s World Biodiversity Day, we figured it’s time we had a little talk about just how close biodiversity actually is. Right here in Kenya, stay tuned, you might be surprised. 🧬 First Things First: What is Biodiversity, Anyway? Biodiversity (short for biological diversity) is basically the whole cast of life, from plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, and the microscopic weirdos too small to notice, plus h...
Read more

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY: KENYA FINDING IT'S NATURAL ENVIORNMENT

Image
  On World Environment Day, it’s time to see the environment not just as scenery, but as biology in motion, feeding our farms, filling our lungs, and shaping our future. A Crisis Hiding in Plain Sight In Nairobi, the smog hangs low, mixing with dust and diesel fumes. In Narok or Turkana, a farmer stares at cracked earth, praying the rains return. These two scenes feel worlds apart, but they’re symptoms of the same failing system. Our environment. The common belief is that environmental issues belong to NGOs, tourists, or tree-huggers. However, when ecosystems break down, it’s not lions or trees that suffer first, it’s people. Health, food, jobs, even peace, they all rest on the biology of functioning ecosystems. So the question isn’t whether the environment matters. It’s whether we realize what happens when it’s gone. Two Worlds, One Crisis: The Urban-Rural Divide In the City: Nairobi’s trees are disappearing, replaced by concrete and construction. The result? Flash flood...
Read more

FROZEN, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: DOES FREEZING REALLY STOP MOLD?

Image
  Freezing bread. The classic move when you’ve overbought, under-eaten, or just know you won’t get through the loaf before it goes fuzzy. You chuck it in the freezer, pat yourself on the back, and think: “That’ll stop mold, right?” 😏😀🤔 Well…mostly. But not always. And not forever. Because while freezing can delay mold, it doesn’t actually kill it. Some mold species are more resilient than you’d expect, and they’re playing the long game. Let’s unpack what’s really going on inside that frosty loaf, and what it tells us about the secret survival skills of mold. ❄ ️ First, What Does Freezing Do? Freezing food works by: Halting microbial activity, which means, the day-to-day operations of the microbes to sustain life, which include to reproduce, feed or grow  (yeasts, molds, bacteria), Slowing enzyme reactions that cause spoilage, Preserving moisture and structure (mostly). Temperatures below 0°C don’t support active mold growth. So yes, fr...
Read more