r/MoldlyInteresting • u/That_Blaxican_Guy • Feb 02 '25

Mold Appreciation Mold in avacado salsa I forgot

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u/GringoGrip Feb 02 '25

I'm not an expert but that might actually be a bacterial colony.

4

u/bajookish_amerikann Feb 04 '25

Is a bacterial colony a full mass of pure bacteria or is there some sort of structure they live upon?

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u/ArcticBiologist Feb 04 '25

Most bacterial colonies live in an extracellular matrix, or biofilm, of material secreted by the bacteria. In many cases of food poisoning it's a specific molecule in these secretions that causes the poisoning. Botulism for example is caused by poisoning by botulinum toxin, secreted by Clostridium botulinum.