ABSTRACT
Penicillium and Talaromyces spp. have been described as rare causative agents of infectious diseases in humans, dogs, and fish, as well as environmental allergens among asthmatic and atopic individuals. Some species of genus Penicillium are of economic importance to the food industry because they contribute to food ripening, while others are postharvest pathogens or cause spoilage. Diagnosis of penicilliosis is based on the confirmation by culture methods through specimen examination, detection of antibodies produced against various fungal proteins, the detection of fungal proteins in sera or in urine, or by selective amplification of Talaromyces marneffei DNA. Several cell cultures have been used to study the effect of allergens from Penicillium spp. Analyses based on the biological action of mycotoxins allow testing various foods for the presence of both known and unknown Penicillium mycotoxins. The organisms used in biological methods for mycotoxins detection includes microorganisms and invertebrate and vertebrate animals.
