Rhizopus

Natural Habitat

• Dung
• Fruits- causing rhizopus rot on stone fruits and strawberries
• Soils
• Vegetables

Suitable Substrates in the Indoor Environment

• Stored fruits and vegetables

Water Activity

• Aw=0.93

Mode of Dissemination

• Wind

Allergenic Potential

• Type I (hay fever, asthma)
• Type III (hypersensitivity)

Potential Opportunist or Pathogen

• Causal agent of zygomycosis in immunocompromised, malnourished or severely burned people

Industrial Uses

• Used to ferment rice into miso
• Used to ferment soybeans to tempeh and sufu

Potential Toxins Produced

• Rhizopus oryzae
produces agroclavine (an ergot alkaloid toxic to mammals)