When mold fungus spores reach the air, they can cause various allergy symptoms like a runny nose, itchy eyes, and coughing. While there are many different types of molds, one common indoor mold isPenicillium,which can cause nasal allergies andasthmain certain people.
If you’ve been diagnosed with an environmentalPenicilliummold allergy, you might wonder if that means you could have a penicillin allergy or food allergies, too. An environmental mold allergy is unlikely to increase your risk of an allergy to penicillin or lead to fungi-related food allergies.
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Mold Allergy vs. Penicillin Allergy
Having aPenicilliummold allergy doesn’t mean that you’re allergic to the antibiotic penicillin. While penicillin was indeed originally developed fromPenicilliummold, people with this specific mold allergy are not at any more risk of developing an allergy to this class of antibiotics than anyone else with a history of allergies.
Risk factors that make it more likely to have a penicillin allergy include:
Modern-day penicillin antibiotics are produced synthetically and are not contaminated with mold particles.
Allergy to Penicillin Drugs
Mold Allergies and Food Allergies
Rarely, people with an environmental mold allergy may react to certain food(s). These reactions are usually mild, but an allergist should evaluate anyone with concerns.
In older reports,food allergy reactionshave very rarely been seen in Penicillium-allergic people who eat foods processed with this fungi (processed cold meat).
If you have an allergic reaction to mushrooms, it’s more likely that it’s from the mushrooms themselves, but symptoms offungus food allergy syndrome have been reported in people with mold allergies who have eaten raw mushrooms.Yeast is another potential food allergen if you have a mold allergy.
The Basics of Cross-Reactivity
Cross-reactivity means that there are similar proteins shared between certain foods and certain molds. So if you’re allergic to molds, there is a small chance you may have symptoms when you eat mushrooms that contain a similar protein.
There is also ample scientific evidence suggesting cross-reactivity between different pollens and raw fruits and vegetables. Likewise, anallergy to latexcan predispose people to certain food allergies (mostly fruits and nuts).Doctors have even named this condition thelatex-food syndrome.
A Word From Verywell
The big picture is that while amold allergymay rarely lead to a food allergy, such as yeast or mushrooms, it doesn’t mean you’ll develop allergies to medications like penicillin.
That being said, a history of allergies puts you at a higher risk of developing otherallergies. You can have both an allergy to certain molds and a penicillin allergy, but an environmental mold allergy does not cause a penicillin allergy.
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.PennState Hershey Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.Mold allergy.Mayo Clinic.Penicillin allergy.Xing H, Wang J, Sun Y, Wang H.Recent advances in the allergic cross-reactivity between fungi and foods.J Immunol Res. 2022;2022:7583400. doi:10.1155/2022/7583400Lombardero M, Díaz-Donado C, Añibarro B, Núñez M, Barber D.Role of Penicillium molds in three cases of food allergy.Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2005;115(2):S247-. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2004.12.998Allergen Bureau.Are mushrooms an allergy risk?Xing H, Wang J, Sun Y, Wang H.Recent advances in the allergic cross-reactivity between fungi and foods.J Immunol Res. 2022;2022:7583400. doi:10.1155/2022/7583400Gabriel MF, González-Delgado P, Postigo I, et al.From respiratory sensitization to food allergy: Anaphylactic reaction after ingestion of mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus).Medical Mycology Case Reports. 2015;8:14-16. doi:10.1016/j.mmcr.2015.02.003Popescu F-D.Cross-reactivity between aeroallergens and food allergens.World Journal of Methodology. 2015;5(2):31-50. doi:10.5662/wjm.v5.i2.31.
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.PennState Hershey Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.Mold allergy.Mayo Clinic.Penicillin allergy.Xing H, Wang J, Sun Y, Wang H.Recent advances in the allergic cross-reactivity between fungi and foods.J Immunol Res. 2022;2022:7583400. doi:10.1155/2022/7583400Lombardero M, Díaz-Donado C, Añibarro B, Núñez M, Barber D.Role of Penicillium molds in three cases of food allergy.Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2005;115(2):S247-. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2004.12.998Allergen Bureau.Are mushrooms an allergy risk?Xing H, Wang J, Sun Y, Wang H.Recent advances in the allergic cross-reactivity between fungi and foods.J Immunol Res. 2022;2022:7583400. doi:10.1155/2022/7583400Gabriel MF, González-Delgado P, Postigo I, et al.From respiratory sensitization to food allergy: Anaphylactic reaction after ingestion of mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus).Medical Mycology Case Reports. 2015;8:14-16. doi:10.1016/j.mmcr.2015.02.003Popescu F-D.Cross-reactivity between aeroallergens and food allergens.World Journal of Methodology. 2015;5(2):31-50. doi:10.5662/wjm.v5.i2.31.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
PennState Hershey Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.Mold allergy.Mayo Clinic.Penicillin allergy.Xing H, Wang J, Sun Y, Wang H.Recent advances in the allergic cross-reactivity between fungi and foods.J Immunol Res. 2022;2022:7583400. doi:10.1155/2022/7583400Lombardero M, Díaz-Donado C, Añibarro B, Núñez M, Barber D.Role of Penicillium molds in three cases of food allergy.Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2005;115(2):S247-. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2004.12.998Allergen Bureau.Are mushrooms an allergy risk?Xing H, Wang J, Sun Y, Wang H.Recent advances in the allergic cross-reactivity between fungi and foods.J Immunol Res. 2022;2022:7583400. doi:10.1155/2022/7583400Gabriel MF, González-Delgado P, Postigo I, et al.From respiratory sensitization to food allergy: Anaphylactic reaction after ingestion of mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus).Medical Mycology Case Reports. 2015;8:14-16. doi:10.1016/j.mmcr.2015.02.003Popescu F-D.Cross-reactivity between aeroallergens and food allergens.World Journal of Methodology. 2015;5(2):31-50. doi:10.5662/wjm.v5.i2.31.
PennState Hershey Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.Mold allergy.
Mayo Clinic.Penicillin allergy.
Xing H, Wang J, Sun Y, Wang H.Recent advances in the allergic cross-reactivity between fungi and foods.J Immunol Res. 2022;2022:7583400. doi:10.1155/2022/7583400
Lombardero M, Díaz-Donado C, Añibarro B, Núñez M, Barber D.Role of Penicillium molds in three cases of food allergy.Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2005;115(2):S247-. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2004.12.998
Allergen Bureau.Are mushrooms an allergy risk?
Gabriel MF, González-Delgado P, Postigo I, et al.From respiratory sensitization to food allergy: Anaphylactic reaction after ingestion of mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus).Medical Mycology Case Reports. 2015;8:14-16. doi:10.1016/j.mmcr.2015.02.003
Popescu F-D.Cross-reactivity between aeroallergens and food allergens.World Journal of Methodology. 2015;5(2):31-50. doi:10.5662/wjm.v5.i2.31.
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