| Species/Subspecies:
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Penicillium verrucosum subsp. verrucosum |
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| Categories:
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Toxic for animals; toxic for humans; spoilage organism |
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| Etymology:
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Genus name: paint brush.
Species epithet: scaly/warty.
Subspecies epithet: see Species epithet. |
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| Significance: | [Very important]
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| Geographic distribution:
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Occurs in temperate and colder climates in e.g. northern Europe, North America and southern South America. |
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| Taxonomy:
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| Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
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| Ascomycota | Eurotiomycetes | Eurotiales | Trichocomaceae | Penicillium |
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| | |
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Macromorphology (smell):
  | Slow-growing. It may take a week for a colony to grow about 20 mm in diameter. The mycelium is white and the conidia are gray-green to dull green.
Has a pungent earthy odour. |
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Micromorphology:
 | The conidia have smooth walls and a diameter of 2.5-3.0 μm. The conidia have first an ellipsoidal shape, which later changes to globular. |
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| Reproduction: | |
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| Spec. Char.:
| Psychrophilic. Optimal temperature for germination is 21-23°C. |
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| Disease/effect:
| | Hosts/substrate | Disease/effect | Clinical picture or result |
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| Cereal crops. | Spoilage | Contamination of mycotoxins. | | Pigs | Poisoning (porcine nephropathy), resulting in degenerative renal changes. | Excessive water consumption and urine production (polydipsia and polyuria). | | Poultry | Poisoning, resulting in degenerative renal changes. | Decreased egg production. | | Människa (som äter kontaminerade livsmedel). | Poisoning | Kidney disease, cancer and possible effects on the nervous system, especially in the fetus. |
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| Virulence Factors:
| The organism produces ochratoxin A (OTA), which is a very poisonous mycotoxin, and citrine. Ochratoxin A is probably both carcinogenic and neurotoxic. |
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| Genome Sequence:
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| 18S rRNA Seq:
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| ACC-No GenBank | Strain/Isolate | Number of NT |
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| JN938976 | DAOM 221128 | 1075 |
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| ITS regions:
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| ACC-No GenBank | Strain/Isolate | Number of NT | Genes |
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| NR_119495 | FRR 965TM | 609 | 18S rRNA, ITS 1, 5.8S rRNA, ITS 2, 28S rRNA |
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| Taxonomy/phylogeny:
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Six variants (or subspecies) of P. verrucosum has been described: album, corymbiferum, cyclopium, melanochlorum, ochraceum and verrucosum. These varieties differ in their different colony colours. |
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| Comment: | If grain is stored improperly, this mold can grow and produce OTA. OTA is not produced at a humidity below 18% and temperatures above 28°C. |
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| Reference(s):
| No. 4, 37 |
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| Updated: | 2022-06-22 |
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