Toxins from mold found growing on nuts or corn can weaken the airways’ self-clearing mechanisms and immunity, opening the door for respiratory diseases and exacerbating existing ones, suggests a study in Nature Scientific Reports published this month from otolaryngology researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Poisonous and cancer-causing, aflatoxins are a type of mycotoxins produced by certain fungi (Aspergillus flavus, for example) growing on and in certain foods. Overall, 25 percent of the world’s food crops are contaminated with these molds, though exposure often occurs via contaminated dust inhaled during food processing. They are known to cause allergic fungal rhinosinusitis and bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, two infections that can be treated with antifungal medications and surgery, if needed. However, the downstream effects of aflatoxins on the airway passage is less studied and understood.
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