Medical Mystery of the Week
Because of your diagnostic excellence, you have been invited to the Medical Mystery
Quizz show which is televised throughout the Universe. You are asked to match the
pictures (A-D) with the numbers (1-4). Answers: A-3 (phycotoxins); B-1(aflatoxins);
C-4 (ibotenic acid), D-2 (nitroso compounds)
A B
A blue green algae bloom. Algae when Bread mold is usually due to aspergillus
or a
airborn are allergenic, and when in- zygomycete. Ingestion of moldy bread
may cause
gested (e.g. by eating infected shellfish) a "stomach ache" or, in extreme cases,
gastric
may be neurotoxic. Algae toxins include necrosis. These molds may produce aflatoxins. phycotoxins, brevetoxins, and ichthyo-
toxins.
C D
This mushroom (Amanita muscaria) produces Black mold is allergenic and potentially toxic ibotenic acid, a potent agonist of metabo- due to its production of nitroso compunds. tropic glutamate receptors.