Is Mould a Fungus or a Bacteria?

Is Mould A Fungus?

You may have heard about mould. You may find it in your house, a mould may cause damage to the building. But what is mould?

The term “mould” refers to a group of filamentous fungi that are common in wet materials and food. This group of fungi includes Penicillium that produces penicillin and fungi that are also, able to spoil fruits, bread, and crops. Most of the species grouped as mould are members of Ascomycota division that has a characteristic of producing a lot of spores.

Here are some explanations to help you differentiate fungus and bacteria.

Mould is Part of a different kingdom to Bacteria:

Mould is certainly not bacteria. Although both are called microbes, a mould is very different from bacteria. Both mould and bacteria are members of different kingdoms in biological nomenclature. Mould is a member of fungi kingdom, while bacteria are part of the Monera kingdom.

The biggest difference is in their cellular makeup:

Bacteria are said to be prokaryotic (which means they do not possess nucleus on their cells) while fungi are eukaryotic organisms (which have a well-defined nucleus on their cells). In addition, bacteria are a group of unicellular microorganisms which can only be observed under the microscope, whereas fungi are mostly complex microorganisms, except yeast which is unicellular organisms.

Have different component of cell walls:

Both mould and bacteria have cell walls, but the components that compose the cell walls are different. Most multicellular fungi are composed of hyphae (networks of long hollow tubes). The rigid wall that bordered each hypha usually made of chitin (the same material that composes the exoskeleton of insects).

The hypha will elongate at the tips and makes branches which form a dense network called mycelium. In contrast, the bacterial cell wall is made of a component called peptidoglycan.

What is the Difference Between Fungus and Mould?

So, now you have a basic understanding of the difference between mould and bacteria. But what is the difference between fungus and mould?

As has been mentioned before, in the classification system, the fungus is a kingdom. Whereas mould is one type of fungus.

It is invisible to the naked eye as the measurement is only 2-10 microns in diameter. However, when multiple moulds grow close to one another, they will become visible as they will spread rapidly across a surface.

There are over 200,00 species of fungi, including yeast, mushrooms, mould, lichen, and truffles. A single type of fungus might be able to morph into different species or take o characteristic from different types depending on the weather and moisture levels.

 

Moulds are usually categorized in one of the three ways:

allergenic, which means it is very unlikely to cause illness,

pathogenic, which means mould can cause infection in people with compromised immune systems, or

toxigenic, which means mould may be toxic if you encounter it.

Mould Growth and Reproduction

As you may have observed, moulds will grow well on damp materials. They can also grow well on soils, on plants, and even on the dead or decaying matter. Different mould species are differentiated based on moisture conditions ranging from very wet to just damp.

Mould use spores to reproduce. Live spores act like seeds that form new mould colonies under the right conditions.

Common sources of excessive indoor moisture or dampness may lead to mould problems, such as roof leaks from damaged roofing materials, leaking pipes, condensation on cold surfaces, and so on.

How to Prevent Mould Growth:

Mould will not grow indoors without dampness, water, or excessive moisture. Thus, the key to control mould growth is by controlling excessive indoor Humidity/moisture and condensation issues.

Here are several factors that may contribute to the condensation of water on building surfaces.

Relative humidity:

Condensation will occur when the air is saturated with water, it cannot hold any more moisture. Such as drops of water on mirrors or windows generated by the steam from the bathroom showers. It is very advisable to use air conditioners /or dehumidifiers to lower indoor humidity. Try to put clothes dryers outside or directly vented to the outdoors.

Temperature and Moisture:

Condensation occurs when warm, humid air comes, into contact with a cold surface and the moisture will condense into water, this we can see on mirrors or tiles in a bathroom, but it can also adhere to walls and ceilings in bedrooms and condensation the window, moisture can also be absorbed by clothing and shoes?

Poor ventilation is a Friend to Mould:

If there is no air movement within an area, the surfaces can remain cooler than the surrounding areas which can lead to an increased condensation and cause mould to grow.

Try to use exhaust fans and build a well-ventilated room to let air pass freely and remove moisture from high-humidity areas.

The above explanation is only a small piece of information about mould.