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MOLD; FRIEND AND FOE!

                                             Some molds save lives; others kill. Some add to the flavor of cheeses and wines; others make food poisonous. Some grow on logs; others infest bathrooms and books. In fact, molds are everywhere –spores might even be passing through your nostrils as you read this sentence. If you doubt that mold is all around us, just leave a slice of bread lying around, even in the refrigerator. Before long it will develop a fuzzy coat –mold! Molds belong to the fungi kingdom, which boasts over 100,000 species, including mildews, mushrooms, plant rusts, and yeasts. Only about 100 funguses are known to cause disease in humans and animals. Many others play a vital role in the food chain –decomposing dead organic matter and thereby recycling essential elements in the form that plants can use. Still others work in symbiotic relationships with plants, helping them to absorb nutrients from the soil. And some are parasites. Mold begins life as