# Is mold dangerous to eat for those allergic to penicillin?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mold-dangerous-to-eat-for-those-allergic-to-penicillin/126207>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 30, 2002, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mold-dangerous-to-eat-for-those-allergic-to-penicillin/126207 "2002-08-30T01:12:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Murasaki312a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/898d66/32.png) [@Murasaki312a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Murasaki312a)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mold-dangerous-to-eat-for-those-allergic-to-penicillin/126207/1 "2002-08-30T01:12:30Z")

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…by accident of course. My daughter is allergic to penicillin and I got to thinking (as I threw out some moldy bread) what if she ate some by accident?

Deb

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**Author:** ![PublicBlast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/779978/32.png) [@PublicBlast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PublicBlast)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mold-dangerous-to-eat-for-those-allergic-to-penicillin/126207/2 "2002-08-30T01:17:15Z")

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I’m not a doctor, but I _am_ very allergic to penicillin. (I break out in pink spots and have been told by a doctor that I could stop breathing if I got a big enough dose.) Ampecillin, a synthetic penicillin, also gives me an allergic reaction.

But regular mold? I’ve eaten bread with bits of mold on it (by accident), and I’m a big fan of mold cheeses like brie and camembert. And I ain’t dead yet. 🙂

My grandmother, on the other hand, is allergic to mold cheeses but not to penicillin. Go fig.

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**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mold-dangerous-to-eat-for-those-allergic-to-penicillin/126207/3 "2002-08-30T01:49:52Z")

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Mold can include many different species, some of which produce toxins. Some can even cause illness if inhaled, so throw the bread out if it is moldy.

If extra mold grows on your blue cheese, throw that out, too.

Tris

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**Author:** ![Murasaki312a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/898d66/32.png) [@Murasaki312a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Murasaki312a)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mold-dangerous-to-eat-for-those-allergic-to-penicillin/126207/4 "2002-08-30T10:20:45Z")

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Thanks for the replies. It’s interesting about the cheese- I hadn’t thought about that. Yes, I normally do throw out moldy bread (yuk). Had no idea it could be toxic, though!

Deb