FUNGI

M. Streharski
S. Milić
L. Urek
We will learn about;
• General characteristic of fungi
• Human-fungus interactions
• Pathogenicity
• Edible mushrooms
General characteristic of fungi
• Fungi are NOT plants
• Nonphotosynthetic organisms
• Eukaryotes
• Most fungi are saprobes (live on
dead organisms)
• Absorptive heterotrophs (digest
food first and then apsorb it into
their bodies)
 General characteristic of fungi
• Store food energy as glycogen
• Cell walls are made of chitin (complex polysaccharide)
• Some are edible while others are poisonous
• Grow best in warm, moist environments
Fungal cell wall
Human-fungus interactions

BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF FUNGI

• Decomposition - nutrient and carbon recycling
• Biosynthetic factories
Can be used to produce drugs, antibiotics, alcohol, acids, food
(fermented products, mushrooms)
• Model organisms for biochemical and genetic studies
Human-fungus interactions

HARMFUL EFFECTS OF FUNGI

• Destruction of food, lumber, paper, and
cloth
• Animal and human diseases, including
allergies
• Toxins produced by poisonous
mushrooms and within food (grain,
cheese, etc.)
• Plant diseases
 Pathogenicity
• It is estimated that there are over 5000
species of mushrooms worldwide and only
around 3% of them are poisonous

• However, only 20–25% of mushrooms have

been named, so there could be a lot more
poisonous species not yet known to us
Pathogenicity
• The differences between poisonous and edible mushrooms:

POISONOUS EDIBLE

• absence of worms • presence of worms

• turns green or purple when cut • no green or purple colour
• bad odour • pleasant odour
• bitter taste • sweet/neutral taste
• burns/stings the tongue • doesn’t burn or sting the tongue
 Pathogenicity
• While Amanita muscaria is the most known for its
toxicity, Death cap (Amanita phalloides) is the
world's most poisonous mushroom
 it contains alpha-amanitin which is responsible for
causing liver and kidney failure and ingestion of just
a half of it can lead to death
 Pathogenicity
• Some toxins produced by poisonous mushrooms:

• Alpha-amanitin (genus Amanita) - causes liver damage 1-3 days after

ingestion, lethal
• Orellanine (genus Cortinarius) - causes kidney failure after 3 weeks of
ingestion, lethal
• Coprine (genus Corpinus) - causes illness only when consumed with alcohol,
non-lethal
• Musinol (genus Amanita) - can cause depression and hallucinations,
non- lethal
Pathogenicity
Mushroom poisoning symptoms:

• Stomach pain and vomitting

• Thirst
• Headaches
• Fatigue

• Most symptoms occur 6 to 24 hours after consumption so it is important to

seek help immediately after suspecting of having eaten a poisonous
mushroom
Questions
• How can you know if a mushroom is poisonous?
• What is the world’s most poisonous mushroom and which toxin does
it contain?