FUNGAL FRENEMIES: A STORY OF HOW MICROBES GO THROUGH THE UPS AND DOWNS OF COEXISTING

Ahhh, friendship.

The wonderful bonds that give us memories, experiences and companions to turn to when the times get tough.

Just as they are the good times, do come the bad and ugly times.

Guess who has a dose of the ol' friendship as well?

Check this out.

You open your fridge, pull out a forgotten box of strawberries, and there it is, the unmistakable fuzz of mold creeping across the surface.

Not the most pleasant sight, but guess who has his friends over at your house?

That moldy berry isn't just a sad waste of fruit. It's a snapshot of a group of friends just trying to get by their day, or what would be called a microscopic ecosystem in action. 

Where you see a patch of fungus, you’re almost always seeing a battleground or a partnership, some group of friends or homies taking a good time out existing with each other. This includes, fungi and other microbes like bacteria and viruses.

Fungi may be the stars of many spoilage stories, in that friend group but they’re rarely alone. 

In this post, we’ll explore how fungi interact with their microbial neighbors, from chemical warfare with bacteria to surprising viral infections, and what these microscopic dynamics mean for your health, your food, and even the planet.

Think of this like your favourite reality TV show, and the cast is just trying to survive another day before elimination. 😅

⚔️ Fungi vs. Bacteria: A Microscopic Turf War

Oh yeah, no reality TV show goes on without two hotly contested cast members competing.

So let’s start with a classic rivalry.

In many environments, from the surface of food to the soil beneath our feet, fungi and bacteria are in a constant struggle for space and resources. Both need moisture, nutrients, and the right temperatures to thrive. However, in nature, there’s rarely enough to go around.

So what does fungi do to survive elimination from this reality TV show?

To survive, fungi have evolved chemical weapons. The most famous?
🧪 Penicillin, produced by Penicillium mold, to kill or inhibit surrounding bacteria.
This isn’t generosity, it’s warfare. By suppressing bacterial competitors, fungi clear the way for their own growth. (Humans, of course, turned this fungal tactic into one of the most important medical discoveries of the 20th century, which is antibiotics)

However, we know cast members on reality TV shows, rarely back down so what does a good competitor do? That's right, they fight back.

On the flip side, some bacteria retaliate by producing antifungal compounds or enzymes that break down fungal cell walls. In soil, these microbial duels shape what crops can grow, and what pathogens may dominate.

Microbial Insight:

When we talk about mold on food, we’re not just talking about a passive fungus. We're looking at a competitive survivor, constantly working to outgrow or outgun its microbial neighbors.

🤝 Fungi and Bacteria: Unlikely Allies

Just like in friendships, we get annoyed to just make up, and enjoy good times again.

So, of course, it’s not all war between our microscopic friends.

In many environments, fungi and bacteria collaborate, forming microbial partnerships that benefit both parties.

Take cheese, for instance. In blue cheeses or washed-rind varieties, fungi and bacteria work together to create flavor, texture, and even protective microbial “rinds.” In sourdough, yeast (a type of fungus) and lactic acid bacteria co-ferment flour, balancing each other’s waste products as nutrients.

In soil, some bacteria live within fungal hyphae (thread-like structures) or along their surfaces, helping fungi absorb nutrients or protecting them from enemies. Together, they form biofilms, which are dense, slimy communities where microbes live, communicate, and defend themselves better than alone.

Survival Takeaway:

So, conditions can get heated in your favoutite reality TV show, and you don't know if your favourite cast member will make it alone, or if they join forces.

Likewise for fungi or bacteria, when conditions are harsh, which include low nutrients and competition everywhere, sometimes collaboration can mean survival. In microbial life, rivalry and alliance are two sides of the same coin.

🦠 Fungal Viruses: Yes, Even Fungi Get Infected

Here’s something most people don’t know, fungi themselves get infected by viruses, called mycoviruses.

These viruses often live silently inside fungi, passed from cell to cell without killing their hosts. Some weaken the fungus. Others actually make fungi more dangerous to plants and humans.

One striking case? The chestnut blight fungus (Cryphonectria parasitica), which devastated North American chestnut trees. A mycovirus was discovered to reduce the fungus’s virulence, making it a potential biological control agent. You can read more about it, in the link below.

https://forestpathology.org/canker/chestnut-blight/

Why should we care?
Because managing plant diseases, especially in crops, might one day depend on infecting the fungi with viruses, a kind of microbial espionage.

Biological Insight:

We've all had that toxic friend, and in reality TV shows, we don't miss that person who is all out for themselves and uses others.

So without further ado, I'm proud to announced that fungi also finds this relatable.

Even the fungal world isn’t immune to parasitism. Mycoviruses show us how multi-layered microbial interactions can be, and how new solutions to old problems might lie in unexpected places.

💬 Microbial Conversations: How Fungi “Talk” to Other Microbes

Competition and collaboration don’t happen blindly. Microbes, including fungi, often use chemical signals to sense and respond to their environment, as well as, to each other.

This process, called quorum sensing, allows microbes to coordinate behaviors once they reach a critical population. Think of it as microbial social media, where people get together around the same community or topic on a livestream, the conversations and engagements are relatable, and so the microbes go like, “Hey, there are enough of us here, let’s form a biofilm!”

Fungi and bacteria eavesdrop on each other’s signals, responding to threats or opportunities. Some fungi release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that suppress bacterial growth or vice versa. In infections (like in wounds or medical devices), mixed communities of bacteria and fungi team up, making the infection more resistant to treatment.

Real-Life Relevance:

Understanding these conversations helps scientists design better disinfectants, prevent biofilm formation, and even fine-tune fermentation in foods.

🧠 Why This Matters: Microbial Life Shapes Our Own

These microbial dramas aren’t just fascinating, they’re deeply connected to human life.

• That spoiled fruit in the fridge? It's shaped by a microbial arms race.
• That pungent cheese? The result of a delicate microbial partnership.
• That garden blight? Possibly caused by a fungus that could be weakened by a virus.

Understanding how fungi interact with other microbes helps us:

• Improve food storage and safety
• Manage plant and human diseases
• Develop new medicines
• Understand the ecosystems in our homes, soil, and even our bodies