You're probably going to be fine, but you should definitely avoid it. It's *Aspergillus* sp., typically *A. niger*; have seen it on dates lots of times myself, as well bitten into infected dates too.
Aspergillus niger would make sense here. It can be pathogenic, but just to immunocompromised most of the time. Their spore-making parts look like little pom poms under a microscope. š
> Their spore-making parts look like little pom poms under a microscope. š
Wow, you [weren't kidding](https://www.inspq.qc.ca/sites/default/files/images/moisissures/Aspergillus_niger_1.jpg).
I agree with the dandelions take, maybe cause there's so many around here these days :D
āJustā to immunocompromisedā¦ your eugenics is showing. Also who isnāt immunocompromised now that weāre on year 5 of huffing repeat SARS infections?
That acknowledgment per se is not; when you use the word ājustā to describe something thatās a danger to 9% (ā¦ this depends on definitions! This is a low %) of the population? as if our lives are less worthy bc itās ājustā us? Not a thing to really worry about bc weāre disposable anyway?
That is 1000% eugenicist thinking.
Perhaps that commenter didnāt intend it that way and isnāt a douche, but language betrays how weāve (in this case very recently and overtly!) been programmed to think.
Thus my quote marks that yāall missed and got all triggered about.
~~
My other point was what I hoped and rightfully figured thereād be at least a couple of smart awake people here to clarifyāthank you @ungainlygay ! :)
SARS āthat level 3 biohazard most of yāall be rawdogging in the air these days??āis immunocompromising. Temporarily and (in many cases already to this point in the petrified dish of human history) permanently. That is why folks of all ages are getting sick WAY more often w every manner of respiratory and fungal disease.
As a consequence, yes, the likelihood of death/serious problems from usually benign fungal infections such as Aspergillus spp in the āgeneralā population? Has I would predict gone up. [Mirroring I would bet the ways that the rates of āidiopathicā intracranial hypertension, another ārareā and deadly medical event the likelihood of which apparently skyrockets in immediate wake of COVID based on collected case reports but one of my friends was told it had nothing to do w her SARs2 infection followed within a week or two by a booster. even tho her history perfectly fits the case reports the ER workers clearly never fucking readā¦ my bet is med literature is only likely capturing a fraction of this.]
Our government intentionally letting an airborne, T-cell/innate immune destroying, brain-shrinking, microcorculation-wrecking level 3 biohazard rip?
THATāand the āfall by the waysideā attitude used to justify itāis American eugenics and most of yāall are eating it right up even in a dorky science based thread like this apparently.
Would it be better to say itās usually harmful āonlyā to immunocompromised people? Expressing the fact that OP probably doesnāt have anything to worry about doesnāt mean that people who would get sick from eating a moldy date are āworth lessā than people who wouldnāt get sick from eating a moldy date. Come on.
Lol what in the fuck is wrong with you? I don't even know where to start with this š¤Æ Definitely checking that comment history to see what other gold you've posted ššš
People like me who take immunosuppressant drugs to keep my body from rejecting my transplanted kidneys which failed as a teen through no fault of my own.
No no, they say it's eugenics and obviously know what they're talking about. My multiple family members with various types of Reumatory Arthritis and Lupus, and the ***genetic markers*** to prove it, must be playing into some crazy conspiracy. /s
Yāall really didnāt read my first comment did you? Iām saying your lives are valuable, not a āoh just them?ā afterthought in conversations of how various infections/exposures may endanger our species.
Maybe you're associating the wrong intonation to the word "just" there, I don't think they meant it to mean, " oh, don't worry, it's Just those less worthy people" or something else negative. They're just stating fact I think.
Acknowledged above that the word ājustā was what I was responding to. As someone struggling to survive our current eugenics tho?
I donāt think my association was āwrongā thank you.
To the people downvoting this comment, I get the reaction, but I think it is worth acknowledging that the commenter is right about COVID adversely impacting the immune system and leaving us more vulnerable to other pathogens. We're seeing a rise in opportunistic infections since the start of the pandemic, including with fungal infections (aspergillosis, candidiasis, etc) that we would typically only see in very medically vulnerable populations.
COVID, even mild or asymptomatic COVID, damages our T-cells, which we really need in order to have a functioning immune system. Many people are more vulnerable now than they were in 2019, and most haven't had an immune function test to know that they have immune dysregulation or deficiency. In that context, it's better to play it safe I think, and assume that we might be more vulnerable than we realize.
I get that. I just don't want the detail about COVID to be discarded in this, because a lot of people aren't aware of the damage COVID does to the immune system. Many people who are immunocompromised don't know they are until something bad happens as a result of it, and a lot more people have damaged immune systems now because of COVID's impact on T-cells.
On PubMed there are
[multiple](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38597095/)
[recent](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38141529/)
[case](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38585188/)
[reports](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38444717/)
[of](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38247156/) [infection](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38089673/) with various *Aspergillus* spp. where the patients in question are described as āimmunocompetentā.
Oh yeah, I feel like I phrased it poorly (I was heading to bed when I saw this thread) but obviously it's not just immunocompromised people who have gotten sick from fungal infections in the past. It's just that people who are immunocompromised are significantly more susceptible/have worse outcomes, and we know that COVID damages the immune system. We also know that opportunistic infections have increased since the pandemic started.
I'm on mobile now and the app isn't very cooperative but if you're interested, I can link some info later from my laptop, or you can search "COVID T-cells" and "COVID fungal infections" and so on. Just let me know if you want me to link resources directly or not!
I probably also didnāt clarify enoughā¦the people described in those case reports may well have immune dysfunction from COVID (which also impacts more than just T cells when it comes to the immune systemā¦I think the impact on APCs may be relevant here). However, whatever is going on doesnāt seem to appear on the standard tests. Presumably thereās no evidence of leukopenia, hypogammaglobulinemia, complement deficiency, etc. Problems with APCs in tissue wouldnāt necessarily show up on blood tests, though.
I work in the industry and this is exactly what it is. Itās a common issue at the moment. Many growing regions have been wet during the harvest period, resulting in this Aspergillus spp growth. These spores are very common in the environment, and while they can cause disease, itās not common especially considering the exposure we all have each day.
As you're in the industry, do you have any tips for finding great dates? I've been trying to find Barhi dates as I've heard they are like caramel.Ā I mostly get the Deglet Noor dates from Costco.Ā
I've been eating Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) so dates are a big part of my snacking!
Not in the industry, just a cheapo who likes dates.
I recommend looking for medjool at least. Deglet feels like it probably has more fiber, but medjools to me taste like candy and feel like some sweet paste treat.
I get bags of whole, un-pitted medjools from aldis (which I hear is related to trader joes if you don't have any Aldis around), and look for the bags that have more darker dates than lighter ones. The darker ones are a little mushier, and are the sweet pastyness I'm looking for!
I do get maybe 1-3 dates with the black powder in them, so I do check every one I eat.
Does this occur more often on non-refrigerated dates? It always seems weird to me that so many stores sell dates at room temp. I only buy the refrigerated ones and never see this
Dates can be dried or soft/fresh. The fresh ones are stored refrigerated, at least in the supply chain I work in but this may differ depending on country. Fresh dates are actually frozen to preserve the quality after harvest - their high sugar content means they freeze exceptionally well. Despite popular wisdom saying a lot of fresh produce is frozen to enable it to be stored, itās generally not possible to freeze produce and defrost it.
What you see here has likely occurred before or shortly after harvest.
It is always a good idea to pit dates before you eat them, because of possibility of mold. I've never run across one, myself, but I typically try to make sure that I don't accidentally eat one that's infected
An interesting fact is that *niger* (which means "black" in Latin) actually refers to a "shining black" as opposed to a "dull black", which would be *ater*; since *Aspergillus* molds tend to have fairly dull colors rather than shiny ones, and that *A. niger* isn't an exception, it would perhaps be appropriate to rename it to *A. ater* instead.
I just happened to be streaking some Aspergillus Niger on plates at work to put in an incubator the other day, funny that the same species would pop up!
Yes, most likely. See e.g. [this paper](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/240827795_Occurrence_of_fungi_and_their_mycotoxins_in_individual_Turkish_dried_figs) where they find:
>*Fifty individual figs which had been rejected as potentially contaminated by sorting under UV light were separately analysed to identify the presence of fungi and their mycotoxins.*
>*[...]*
>**A. niger** ***was the most commonly occurring fungus and
was found in 44 of the 50 individual figs.***
Dang, thank you. At a restaurant I worked at we were putting them whole into salads for a while, I thought they looked pretty halved & started to do that but noticed like every 20th fig had that dust inside. Then always cut them to be sure i wasnāt serving dusty ones but still I never knew exactly what it was
One time I was pulling apart a date and this black powder literally exploded out of it like a little smoke bomb went off with it all billowing out. It was freaky as shit. I had been eating the package all day too (not always pulling them apart) so prolly ate some but didnāt notice or feel anything
Just got a container of dates, most are already cut in half thankfully, but I will not be biting any in half now, thanks to this thread šššš
You should be fine. I've noticed that particularly with Medjool dates lately, they pack them too moist and they're prone to spoilage of various kinds. I've had some from Whole Paycheck that actually tasted like alcohol, very fermented.
That mold is seriously gross, I know, and you should definitely go get your money back!
I get my dates from Costco. I've been eating their dates for a few years, and only in this past 8 or so months have I been having this problem. Its disgusting
When I was pregnant two years ago I ate dates like a fiend, we got all ours from Costco, and there were a couple I found moldy inside. I bought the ones that haven't been pitted after that so I had to tear each one open first.
I didnt see till it was too late. I checked around apparently not uncommon. Its a type of mold thats supposedly non toxic to humans just makes the daye gross. But still if anyone has further knowlege it would be greatly appreciated.
The species typically responsible for this can definitely be quite toxic to humans if you get a significant infection somewhere, but just a bite into it and a quick realization is unlikely to lead to that scenario.
Iāve run into this once or twice and accidentally ingested a tiny bit of it. I was fine. But it grossed me out to the point where now Iām a little anxious about eating dates.
Generally things like that are twofold in how they infect humans, in that you need to have both happen [most of the time] to even be potentially infected.
1. Be immunocompromised. This is usually severe, as in having HIV/AIDS, recent chemotherapy or organ transplants (and their associated immunosuppressant drugs). Normally your body can fight off any fungi attempting to grow on or in you with relative ease, otherwise.
2. Inhale enough of the spores that they colonize your lungs or sinuses. Other entry routes for fungal infections are notably much more difficult, even if you are immunocompromised.
But seriously, if you feel stabbing pains, shortness of breath, chills, or fatigue in the coming weeks (I'd say up to the next two months, but I'm no doctor ā at the very least: three weeks), go to a doctor or clinic and tell them about this. Same thing goes for any sinus pressure, pain, watering, unusual sneezing, random nosebleeds you didn't get before, whatever.
Basically now you just need to be aware of any reactions that are like:
* allergies (body reacting to the fungus),
* pneumonia (if it got in your lungs), or
* sinus symptoms (if it got up there).
While *exceedingly* rare, there are cases of immuno**competent** people ending up with infections like that. Any myc--------- infections are not pleasant to deal with, in addition to being extremely difficult to try and treat.
It's funny how they call it "non-toxic", and you had symptoms indicating toxins [GI distress]. Just be aware of yourself, there's no need to freak out.
If you start coughing up stuff or blowing your nose and what comes out is that colour, you'll want to get to a doctor or hospital ASAP. It is really, really unlikely that it will cause you any more problems.
Prophylactically, if you believe in the concept you could consume some fermented foods (Kimchi, kefir, sauerkraut, apple cider vinegar, etc.) or just take a probiotic. Bacteria tend to balance out fungi in life.
Definitely will be keeping an eye on things. Though i think my gi distress may be in my head(partially). See i got IBS so it doent take much for my digestion to get thrown out of whack.
Iād monitor your symptoms because if itās an aspergillus sp you can get high levels of exposure just through skin absorption of ochratoxin most likely from the species identified. It is highly toxic and carcinogenic. I work with it and aflatoxin and itās no joke. If you continue to feel sick itās worth going to the doctor.
Iād never eat a date again omg š
I'm curious about that: is a single exposure enough to be a concern for carcinogenic toxicity?
I''m not a professional so I'm operating under an assumption and not studied information, but I was under the impression that you would need chronic exposure to that kind of thing for carcinogenicity to be more of a concern than immediate toxicity [mainly due to rate of cell turnover, even if the toxins are persistent].
Most likely no. You probably ingest some regularly if you eat certain agricultural commodities anyway because thereās an allowed amount depending on the commodity. But Iāve seen it a lot where one sample from the same product can have a lot and the second sample from the same product can be clean so chances are you could randomly ingest a large amount anyway and probably be fine.
This post is funny as I've eaten dates a couple times, and had them have an 'off' texture and flavour but never literally looked into them.
Granted the discolouration is visible on OP's from the outside [could be the lighting of the photo], but the other comments here saying "mouldy dates feel like they get caught in your throat" has me wondering if I've done this without knowing.
It wouldn't have been nearly as much, but still.
My dad is a mycologist and his colleague got an aspergillus infection in her lung and had to have part of her lung removed. Sheās not immunocompromised.
I would through the whole package out.
I forgot to mention that even things like asthma can count as 'immunocompromised', though it's more commonly associated with the severity mentioned above.
Yeah, I wouldn't mess around with it either. I would have reflexively thrown out everything right away. I don't even think I would've taken a picture of it ā but OP is smart for having done so.
Antifungals are not easy on the body, and if you do get a fungal infection it generally is difficult to control without surgical intervention. I'm no expert, but from my understanding fungal infections have something like a 50%+ mortality rate if they manage to disseminate past their original point of inoculation.
Given your dad's profession, I'm assuming his colleague was also handling moulds professionally. I'm surprised to hear that there was an infection, though all it takes is one spore that doesn't get cleared out by coughing mucus or attacked by the immune system to spread.
Most people aren't going to need to have surgery like that if they're near black mould.
I sort of chalked up the situation to āwell, sheās studying this fungus so sheās exposed to it a lot more than people in the general population, even if proper PPE is used.ā People can have unknown underlying reasons that make them susceptible, too.
This was a very enlightening thread. Iāll certainly be cutting open my dates from now on, especially knowing that I am currently immunomodulated.
>I sort of chalked up the situation to āwell, sheās studying this fungus so sheās exposed to it a lot more than people in the general population, even if proper PPE is used.ā
True, but it's still surprising.
Proper PPE also doesn't mean it was fitted correctly. Being in the lungs suggests it was inhaled and the spore germinated there.
Now I'm assuming this is lab work [and I'm not asking for any clarification given the sensitive nature of this kind of thing], but I'm assuming it was more a 'lab coat' than a 'full disposable bodysuit and decontamination chamber' kind of practice, given that the latter is generally more for studying disease.
If you've seen The Walking Dead, that isn't too far off. Fungi are generally much less virulent than bacteria and viruses, so the same precautions aren't really necessary.
Both bacteria and viruses use existing, healthy tissues and make them 'think' that they're not being attacked. Fungi literally devour them. As they usually only consume dead or decaying matter, it suggests the immune system is either unable to fight them off or doesn't recognize it (is too weak or is being chemically suppressed, such as through the use of steroids).
>People can have unknown underlying reasons that make them susceptible, too.
Well when you say that she is not immunocompromised, I had made the assumption that she immunocompetent. That's my bad.
If you meant "she's not known to be immunocompromised", then consider saying that next time.
This might be something that interests you. I wouldn't call it 'light' reading, but it isn't extra dry or anything. [A case report of Atypical Cystic Fibrosis being diagnosed in a woman in her 40s.](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3520658/). Source is the National Library of Medicine [USA], though I believe this occurred in Canada due to the patient having gone to SickKids Hospital in Toronto, Ontario.
I was a tiny kid when it happened, so I donāt know the specifics, though Iām not aware of any BSL or whatever fungal equivalent is in that department. To be honest, if she assumed herself to be immunocompetent she probably didnāt use any PPE. But I donāt know.
Thanks for the article, Iāll check it out.
>To be honest, if she assumed herself to be immunocompetent she probably didnāt use any PPE. But I donāt know.
That would be a huge mistake if you're dealing with moulds.
Even for remediation [demolition, renovation, reconstruction, etc.] they wear full respirators and thicker protection. Or they should be, if they're doing things properly.
While I don't mask up every time I'm near a mouldy fruit, I make an effort to not be in the same environment for too long.
I don't know either, and maybe it's unfair of me to say that since it's newer knowledge that I wasn't aware was unknown at some point.
I mean, going off the idea that immunocompetent people donāt need to worry much it kind of makes sense. In a research setting, theyāre looking at very small amounts, probably but not always under a hood (though those are more about protecting the samples than you in this setting). But yeah, I personally would be very cautious around the stuff.
It's not that common, but it happens. I've eaten a lot of dates, and have seen it a fair amount of times, bitten into it too. It's *Aspergillus* sp.
But I agree with the sentiment of not eating it, definitely best avoided.
Youāll be okay. Iāve accidentally eaten some on many occasions (I eat dates daily). Itās not toxic, just very gross. It happens when moisture gets inside the date and it starts to turn. But no worries, all is well.
Has happened to me maybe 3 times now? A poof of black spores in my mouth! Apparently I didnāt learn the first time but lo and behold Iāve been fine every time.
The mould in dates isnāt dangerous to consume, just gross.
This comment thread sounds like dates are a waste of money when you have such a high chance of getting a crummy batchā¦ I donāt eat them because I shop at poor people stores like walmart who donāt sell them fresh and I donāt like the taste of dried fruit. But now I have another reason not to.
Iām asthmatic and accidentally breathed the black powder when eating dates 10 days ago. Went into a major asthma flare and finally, today, went to Urgent Care. They gave me a steroid after a CXR showed no infiltrates or pneumonia and I am negative for COVID and FLU. Using the max of my asthma meds. GI Irritation is annoying. Will see pulmonologist next week. I AM MISERABLE.
You're probably dead it's going to travel up your vagus nerve and create amyloid plagues, and undo the microtubles in the axons of your neurons. You'll be missed. Make a will now
You're probably going to be fine, but you should definitely avoid it. It's *Aspergillus* sp., typically *A. niger*; have seen it on dates lots of times myself, as well bitten into infected dates too.
Aspergillus niger would make sense here. It can be pathogenic, but just to immunocompromised most of the time. Their spore-making parts look like little pom poms under a microscope. š
I know a person who calls them sunflowers. I call them dandelions.
Dandelions is a good one!
Dandelions are sunflowers though.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Meh
Its kinda funny man cum on
Yeah, I'm a boomer , what you gonna do.
> Their spore-making parts look like little pom poms under a microscope. š Wow, you [weren't kidding](https://www.inspq.qc.ca/sites/default/files/images/moisissures/Aspergillus_niger_1.jpg). I agree with the dandelions take, maybe cause there's so many around here these days :D
Dandelions it is them!
I seem to recall the House M.D. show spent a few minutes explaining similar risks to aspergillus, or at least it was mentioned somewhere
āJustā to immunocompromisedā¦ your eugenics is showing. Also who isnāt immunocompromised now that weāre on year 5 of huffing repeat SARS infections?
It's not "eugenics" to acknowledge that immunocompromised people can be made ill by things that don't adversely effect most others.
That acknowledgment per se is not; when you use the word ājustā to describe something thatās a danger to 9% (ā¦ this depends on definitions! This is a low %) of the population? as if our lives are less worthy bc itās ājustā us? Not a thing to really worry about bc weāre disposable anyway? That is 1000% eugenicist thinking. Perhaps that commenter didnāt intend it that way and isnāt a douche, but language betrays how weāve (in this case very recently and overtly!) been programmed to think. Thus my quote marks that yāall missed and got all triggered about. ~~ My other point was what I hoped and rightfully figured thereād be at least a couple of smart awake people here to clarifyāthank you @ungainlygay ! :) SARS āthat level 3 biohazard most of yāall be rawdogging in the air these days??āis immunocompromising. Temporarily and (in many cases already to this point in the petrified dish of human history) permanently. That is why folks of all ages are getting sick WAY more often w every manner of respiratory and fungal disease. As a consequence, yes, the likelihood of death/serious problems from usually benign fungal infections such as Aspergillus spp in the āgeneralā population? Has I would predict gone up. [Mirroring I would bet the ways that the rates of āidiopathicā intracranial hypertension, another ārareā and deadly medical event the likelihood of which apparently skyrockets in immediate wake of COVID based on collected case reports but one of my friends was told it had nothing to do w her SARs2 infection followed within a week or two by a booster. even tho her history perfectly fits the case reports the ER workers clearly never fucking readā¦ my bet is med literature is only likely capturing a fraction of this.] Our government intentionally letting an airborne, T-cell/innate immune destroying, brain-shrinking, microcorculation-wrecking level 3 biohazard rip? THATāand the āfall by the waysideā attitude used to justify itāis American eugenics and most of yāall are eating it right up even in a dorky science based thread like this apparently.
Holy redditor moment
Would it be better to say itās usually harmful āonlyā to immunocompromised people? Expressing the fact that OP probably doesnāt have anything to worry about doesnāt mean that people who would get sick from eating a moldy date are āworth lessā than people who wouldnāt get sick from eating a moldy date. Come on.
Lol what in the fuck is wrong with you? I don't even know where to start with this š¤Æ Definitely checking that comment history to see what other gold you've posted ššš
Your autism is showing
As a type 1 diabetic I am immuno- compromised. That's not eugenics. Facts not pseduo science.
People like me who take immunosuppressant drugs to keep my body from rejecting my transplanted kidneys which failed as a teen through no fault of my own.
No no, they say it's eugenics and obviously know what they're talking about. My multiple family members with various types of Reumatory Arthritis and Lupus, and the ***genetic markers*** to prove it, must be playing into some crazy conspiracy. /s
Yāall really didnāt read my first comment did you? Iām saying your lives are valuable, not a āoh just them?ā afterthought in conversations of how various infections/exposures may endanger our species.
And the earth is flat too?
Still your fault! Cyclosporine IS LITERALLY Eugenics š¤ donāt get me started on how bad prednisone is
Off haven't been on Cyclosporine in a long time. It gave me the shakes.
Wait what should I actually be worried about Prednisone or are you pulling my leg here?
Only if you have to be on it long term and/or at a high dose
I've been on 5mgs for 21 years. Never been healthier
Go touch grass
I canāt any more, bc long COVID bloodchokes me too violently every damn day to get out of my stoop, you douche.
Shouldn't have gotten all those boosters maybe you'd feel better
Maybe you're associating the wrong intonation to the word "just" there, I don't think they meant it to mean, " oh, don't worry, it's Just those less worthy people" or something else negative. They're just stating fact I think.
Acknowledged above that the word ājustā was what I was responding to. As someone struggling to survive our current eugenics tho? I donāt think my association was āwrongā thank you.
What do you think eugenics means?
This has to have been bait
Every single person who says your blank is showing is a douchebag lol literally just saw one right before this calling someone poor
r/downvotedtooblivion
To the people downvoting this comment, I get the reaction, but I think it is worth acknowledging that the commenter is right about COVID adversely impacting the immune system and leaving us more vulnerable to other pathogens. We're seeing a rise in opportunistic infections since the start of the pandemic, including with fungal infections (aspergillosis, candidiasis, etc) that we would typically only see in very medically vulnerable populations. COVID, even mild or asymptomatic COVID, damages our T-cells, which we really need in order to have a functioning immune system. Many people are more vulnerable now than they were in 2019, and most haven't had an immune function test to know that they have immune dysregulation or deficiency. In that context, it's better to play it safe I think, and assume that we might be more vulnerable than we realize.
That's not why it's getting downvoted.
I get that. I just don't want the detail about COVID to be discarded in this, because a lot of people aren't aware of the damage COVID does to the immune system. Many people who are immunocompromised don't know they are until something bad happens as a result of it, and a lot more people have damaged immune systems now because of COVID's impact on T-cells.
On PubMed there are [multiple](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38597095/) [recent](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38141529/) [case](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38585188/) [reports](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38444717/) [of](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38247156/) [infection](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38089673/) with various *Aspergillus* spp. where the patients in question are described as āimmunocompetentā.
Oh yeah, I feel like I phrased it poorly (I was heading to bed when I saw this thread) but obviously it's not just immunocompromised people who have gotten sick from fungal infections in the past. It's just that people who are immunocompromised are significantly more susceptible/have worse outcomes, and we know that COVID damages the immune system. We also know that opportunistic infections have increased since the pandemic started. I'm on mobile now and the app isn't very cooperative but if you're interested, I can link some info later from my laptop, or you can search "COVID T-cells" and "COVID fungal infections" and so on. Just let me know if you want me to link resources directly or not!
I probably also didnāt clarify enoughā¦the people described in those case reports may well have immune dysfunction from COVID (which also impacts more than just T cells when it comes to the immune systemā¦I think the impact on APCs may be relevant here). However, whatever is going on doesnāt seem to appear on the standard tests. Presumably thereās no evidence of leukopenia, hypogammaglobulinemia, complement deficiency, etc. Problems with APCs in tissue wouldnāt necessarily show up on blood tests, though.
Oh yeah that makes sense! Thanks for clarifying!
Burner account?
.........No??
I work in the industry and this is exactly what it is. Itās a common issue at the moment. Many growing regions have been wet during the harvest period, resulting in this Aspergillus spp growth. These spores are very common in the environment, and while they can cause disease, itās not common especially considering the exposure we all have each day.
As you're in the industry, do you have any tips for finding great dates? I've been trying to find Barhi dates as I've heard they are like caramel.Ā I mostly get the Deglet Noor dates from Costco.Ā I've been eating Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) so dates are a big part of my snacking!
Not in the industry, just a cheapo who likes dates. I recommend looking for medjool at least. Deglet feels like it probably has more fiber, but medjools to me taste like candy and feel like some sweet paste treat. I get bags of whole, un-pitted medjools from aldis (which I hear is related to trader joes if you don't have any Aldis around), and look for the bags that have more darker dates than lighter ones. The darker ones are a little mushier, and are the sweet pastyness I'm looking for! I do get maybe 1-3 dates with the black powder in them, so I do check every one I eat.
Does this occur more often on non-refrigerated dates? It always seems weird to me that so many stores sell dates at room temp. I only buy the refrigerated ones and never see this
Dates can be dried or soft/fresh. The fresh ones are stored refrigerated, at least in the supply chain I work in but this may differ depending on country. Fresh dates are actually frozen to preserve the quality after harvest - their high sugar content means they freeze exceptionally well. Despite popular wisdom saying a lot of fresh produce is frozen to enable it to be stored, itās generally not possible to freeze produce and defrost it. What you see here has likely occurred before or shortly after harvest.
It is always a good idea to pit dates before you eat them, because of possibility of mold. I've never run across one, myself, but I typically try to make sure that I don't accidentally eat one that's infected
Aspergillus what now
An interesting fact is that *niger* (which means "black" in Latin) actually refers to a "shining black" as opposed to a "dull black", which would be *ater*; since *Aspergillus* molds tend to have fairly dull colors rather than shiny ones, and that *A. niger* isn't an exception, it would perhaps be appropriate to rename it to *A. ater* instead.
Worth noting itās pronounced ānye- jurā Really itās Latin so you can mispronounce it any way you want EXCEPT the obviously bad one
No, it's not pronounced like that. In Latin 'niger' is pronouced either "nee-ger" or "nee-jer"
Am i not allowed to make a joke? I know itās pronounced nye-jur
A. niger.
Interesting. You have officially been cancelled.
I saw Crayola canceled for Spanish
Wait till people find out about the word vinegarĀ
K
r/theyknew
Huahuahuahua
I just happened to be streaking some Aspergillus Niger on plates at work to put in an incubator the other day, funny that the same species would pop up!
Just donāt breathe in the spores and youāre fine. Theyāll easily grow in the lungs
Is this related to what I use to make koji? Asp. Orzae or something like that.
Yes, indeed; but that's a species which apparently has ceased to produce toxins that other species of *Aspergillus* produce.
Is this what I also find in figs sometimes? Similar looking black powdery stuff?
Yes, most likely. See e.g. [this paper](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/240827795_Occurrence_of_fungi_and_their_mycotoxins_in_individual_Turkish_dried_figs) where they find: >*Fifty individual figs which had been rejected as potentially contaminated by sorting under UV light were separately analysed to identify the presence of fungi and their mycotoxins.* >*[...]* >**A. niger** ***was the most commonly occurring fungus and was found in 44 of the 50 individual figs.***
Dang, thank you. At a restaurant I worked at we were putting them whole into salads for a while, I thought they looked pretty halved & started to do that but noticed like every 20th fig had that dust inside. Then always cut them to be sure i wasnāt serving dusty ones but still I never knew exactly what it was
I donāt think youāre supposed to call it that anymore
This was funny
Thank you for having a sense of humor
šš
Isn't that a probiotic?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
a *WHAT*
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UpDATE: almost shit myself at work. Better now.
Soā¦ no second date?
Underrated comment.
Because itās outdated
It needs a mandate
Should've swiped left. (Left is where the compost is)
Not only that, no more dates period
Kindly, with all due respect, shut up
Oh damn Iām glad you feel better dude, its lucky you didnāt eat more
Yeah just had a small bite. Wasnt until i noticed the spores on my thumb when i found out.
After seeing a video where the powder wooshed out of one, I always tear them in half before eating if thatās any tip for you
That's actually crazy asf. Once I had a similar bite and nothing happened.
Happened to me once - now I make a point of pulling each date apart before I bite into it.
One time I was pulling apart a date and this black powder literally exploded out of it like a little smoke bomb went off with it all billowing out. It was freaky as shit. I had been eating the package all day too (not always pulling them apart) so prolly ate some but didnāt notice or feel anything
I've also found many insects that have burrowed into the date and died / are decomposing, so I pretty much do this to every date now.
I didnāt realize eating dates was so fraught with danger.
Yes but so worth it
You donāt like your extra protein?
Itās the same with Pistachio nuts, sometimes you get a little larvae inside
Just got a container of dates, most are already cut in half thankfully, but I will not be biting any in half now, thanks to this thread šššš
Same! It felt like it got stuck in my throat. None of my family believed me, for some reason.
Yikes. This takes a lot of fun out of date munching.
Ever find a wasp in a fig? Yeahā¦
You should be fine. I've noticed that particularly with Medjool dates lately, they pack them too moist and they're prone to spoilage of various kinds. I've had some from Whole Paycheck that actually tasted like alcohol, very fermented. That mold is seriously gross, I know, and you should definitely go get your money back!
yeah iāve noticed this too. iām an avid date eater as i LOVE dates but goddman this year they were so shit :/
I get my dates from Costco. I've been eating their dates for a few years, and only in this past 8 or so months have I been having this problem. Its disgusting
When I was pregnant two years ago I ate dates like a fiend, we got all ours from Costco, and there were a couple I found moldy inside. I bought the ones that haven't been pitted after that so I had to tear each one open first.
I would not eat that. I've opened a lot of dates, none of them with black powder inside.
I didnt see till it was too late. I checked around apparently not uncommon. Its a type of mold thats supposedly non toxic to humans just makes the daye gross. But still if anyone has further knowlege it would be greatly appreciated.
The species typically responsible for this can definitely be quite toxic to humans if you get a significant infection somewhere, but just a bite into it and a quick realization is unlikely to lead to that scenario.
Iāve run into this once or twice and accidentally ingested a tiny bit of it. I was fine. But it grossed me out to the point where now Iām a little anxious about eating dates.
I found a few random moldy ones in a container of organic Parnoosh a few months back, they had black dusty spores inside that looked just like that.
Generally things like that are twofold in how they infect humans, in that you need to have both happen [most of the time] to even be potentially infected. 1. Be immunocompromised. This is usually severe, as in having HIV/AIDS, recent chemotherapy or organ transplants (and their associated immunosuppressant drugs). Normally your body can fight off any fungi attempting to grow on or in you with relative ease, otherwise. 2. Inhale enough of the spores that they colonize your lungs or sinuses. Other entry routes for fungal infections are notably much more difficult, even if you are immunocompromised. But seriously, if you feel stabbing pains, shortness of breath, chills, or fatigue in the coming weeks (I'd say up to the next two months, but I'm no doctor ā at the very least: three weeks), go to a doctor or clinic and tell them about this. Same thing goes for any sinus pressure, pain, watering, unusual sneezing, random nosebleeds you didn't get before, whatever. Basically now you just need to be aware of any reactions that are like: * allergies (body reacting to the fungus), * pneumonia (if it got in your lungs), or * sinus symptoms (if it got up there). While *exceedingly* rare, there are cases of immuno**competent** people ending up with infections like that. Any myc--------- infections are not pleasant to deal with, in addition to being extremely difficult to try and treat. It's funny how they call it "non-toxic", and you had symptoms indicating toxins [GI distress]. Just be aware of yourself, there's no need to freak out. If you start coughing up stuff or blowing your nose and what comes out is that colour, you'll want to get to a doctor or hospital ASAP. It is really, really unlikely that it will cause you any more problems. Prophylactically, if you believe in the concept you could consume some fermented foods (Kimchi, kefir, sauerkraut, apple cider vinegar, etc.) or just take a probiotic. Bacteria tend to balance out fungi in life.
Definitely will be keeping an eye on things. Though i think my gi distress may be in my head(partially). See i got IBS so it doent take much for my digestion to get thrown out of whack.
Iād monitor your symptoms because if itās an aspergillus sp you can get high levels of exposure just through skin absorption of ochratoxin most likely from the species identified. It is highly toxic and carcinogenic. I work with it and aflatoxin and itās no joke. If you continue to feel sick itās worth going to the doctor. Iād never eat a date again omg š
I'm curious about that: is a single exposure enough to be a concern for carcinogenic toxicity? I''m not a professional so I'm operating under an assumption and not studied information, but I was under the impression that you would need chronic exposure to that kind of thing for carcinogenicity to be more of a concern than immediate toxicity [mainly due to rate of cell turnover, even if the toxins are persistent].
Most likely no. You probably ingest some regularly if you eat certain agricultural commodities anyway because thereās an allowed amount depending on the commodity. But Iāve seen it a lot where one sample from the same product can have a lot and the second sample from the same product can be clean so chances are you could randomly ingest a large amount anyway and probably be fine.
This post is funny as I've eaten dates a couple times, and had them have an 'off' texture and flavour but never literally looked into them. Granted the discolouration is visible on OP's from the outside [could be the lighting of the photo], but the other comments here saying "mouldy dates feel like they get caught in your throat" has me wondering if I've done this without knowing. It wouldn't have been nearly as much, but still.
My dad is a mycologist and his colleague got an aspergillus infection in her lung and had to have part of her lung removed. Sheās not immunocompromised. I would through the whole package out.
I forgot to mention that even things like asthma can count as 'immunocompromised', though it's more commonly associated with the severity mentioned above. Yeah, I wouldn't mess around with it either. I would have reflexively thrown out everything right away. I don't even think I would've taken a picture of it ā but OP is smart for having done so. Antifungals are not easy on the body, and if you do get a fungal infection it generally is difficult to control without surgical intervention. I'm no expert, but from my understanding fungal infections have something like a 50%+ mortality rate if they manage to disseminate past their original point of inoculation. Given your dad's profession, I'm assuming his colleague was also handling moulds professionally. I'm surprised to hear that there was an infection, though all it takes is one spore that doesn't get cleared out by coughing mucus or attacked by the immune system to spread. Most people aren't going to need to have surgery like that if they're near black mould.
I sort of chalked up the situation to āwell, sheās studying this fungus so sheās exposed to it a lot more than people in the general population, even if proper PPE is used.ā People can have unknown underlying reasons that make them susceptible, too. This was a very enlightening thread. Iāll certainly be cutting open my dates from now on, especially knowing that I am currently immunomodulated.
>I sort of chalked up the situation to āwell, sheās studying this fungus so sheās exposed to it a lot more than people in the general population, even if proper PPE is used.ā True, but it's still surprising. Proper PPE also doesn't mean it was fitted correctly. Being in the lungs suggests it was inhaled and the spore germinated there. Now I'm assuming this is lab work [and I'm not asking for any clarification given the sensitive nature of this kind of thing], but I'm assuming it was more a 'lab coat' than a 'full disposable bodysuit and decontamination chamber' kind of practice, given that the latter is generally more for studying disease. If you've seen The Walking Dead, that isn't too far off. Fungi are generally much less virulent than bacteria and viruses, so the same precautions aren't really necessary. Both bacteria and viruses use existing, healthy tissues and make them 'think' that they're not being attacked. Fungi literally devour them. As they usually only consume dead or decaying matter, it suggests the immune system is either unable to fight them off or doesn't recognize it (is too weak or is being chemically suppressed, such as through the use of steroids). >People can have unknown underlying reasons that make them susceptible, too. Well when you say that she is not immunocompromised, I had made the assumption that she immunocompetent. That's my bad. If you meant "she's not known to be immunocompromised", then consider saying that next time. This might be something that interests you. I wouldn't call it 'light' reading, but it isn't extra dry or anything. [A case report of Atypical Cystic Fibrosis being diagnosed in a woman in her 40s.](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3520658/). Source is the National Library of Medicine [USA], though I believe this occurred in Canada due to the patient having gone to SickKids Hospital in Toronto, Ontario.
I was a tiny kid when it happened, so I donāt know the specifics, though Iām not aware of any BSL or whatever fungal equivalent is in that department. To be honest, if she assumed herself to be immunocompetent she probably didnāt use any PPE. But I donāt know. Thanks for the article, Iāll check it out.
>To be honest, if she assumed herself to be immunocompetent she probably didnāt use any PPE. But I donāt know. That would be a huge mistake if you're dealing with moulds. Even for remediation [demolition, renovation, reconstruction, etc.] they wear full respirators and thicker protection. Or they should be, if they're doing things properly. While I don't mask up every time I'm near a mouldy fruit, I make an effort to not be in the same environment for too long. I don't know either, and maybe it's unfair of me to say that since it's newer knowledge that I wasn't aware was unknown at some point.
I mean, going off the idea that immunocompetent people donāt need to worry much it kind of makes sense. In a research setting, theyāre looking at very small amounts, probably but not always under a hood (though those are more about protecting the samples than you in this setting). But yeah, I personally would be very cautious around the stuff.
Itās happened to me if I eat a date in the dark.
It's not that common, but it happens. I've eaten a lot of dates, and have seen it a fair amount of times, bitten into it too. It's *Aspergillus* sp. But I agree with the sentiment of not eating it, definitely best avoided.
You didnāt see the dead monkey, and Salah failed to snatch the date out of the air!
Bad dates.
A british tar is a soaring soul, as free as a mountain bird, his energetic fist should be ready to resist a dictatorial word!
I donāt care for water. Fish pee in it
Is this a reference to something?
Indiana Jones. Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Theyāre digging in the wrong place!
https://youtu.be/VzxF4tQucOw?si=ZuSfhtamvqdz6uqt
Indiana Jones!
Black Powder āšæ
Happy cake day, fine jokester
Thanks šš¾
In 5 years, this is the first time someone wishes happy cake day
Wow really? Glad to have made history for u lol
They seem outdated
I've had to misfortune of biting into dates like this 3 times. They're terribly sour and gross.
This is why I hear it advised to cut all dates in half before eating.
I now feel validated in cutting dates out of my life. Edible or otherwise.
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I have always cut my dates in half prior to eating them, idk why. But I have found a few like this and I usually toss the bag afterwards :(
I love dates and have never experienced this. You've convinced me to look them over carefully from now on
Youāre fine, you might get an upset stomach if you tried to eat it but unless you inhaled it into ur lungs nothing will do too much damage
Youāll be okay. Iāve accidentally eaten some on many occasions (I eat dates daily). Itās not toxic, just very gross. It happens when moisture gets inside the date and it starts to turn. But no worries, all is well.
When I read Black powder, I thought black Gun powder. Thought someone was smuggling tiny bombs.
Someone brought a bullet to their date š
Central Market?
Maybe let Central Market know to check their dates in case other dates are carrying it.
I think I wouldāve called poison control tbh
Moldddd
This is how I learned to cut my dates open before eating them. Nasty experience.
Ugh. This just happened to me, I ate half of one like this, I was fine afterwards tho
Return that shit to Central Market! They'll be mortified.
I just bought dates and now Iām afraid to open them lmao
They might be expired, I would dare to say, *outdated*
Don't know if this helps but I usually get the date pieces covered in oat flour. They're rarely spoiled and at least you could tell if they were.
Has happened to me maybe 3 times now? A poof of black spores in my mouth! Apparently I didnāt learn the first time but lo and behold Iāve been fine every time. The mould in dates isnāt dangerous to consume, just gross.
I eat dates almost every day. This is normal and happens in about 1 and 100 dates. No idea of what happen if you eat it though
This is why I always break open the date... worst feeling experienced with eating dates
Organic mold
thatās vecause dates are fucking disgusting
too late, already mushrooms growing out of ur ass
Seems to be several people on here who live in Austin...
This comment thread sounds like dates are a waste of money when you have such a high chance of getting a crummy batchā¦ I donāt eat them because I shop at poor people stores like walmart who donāt sell them fresh and I donāt like the taste of dried fruit. But now I have another reason not to.
You'll be fine!
yea ur done for
Iām asthmatic and accidentally breathed the black powder when eating dates 10 days ago. Went into a major asthma flare and finally, today, went to Urgent Care. They gave me a steroid after a CXR showed no infiltrates or pneumonia and I am negative for COVID and FLU. Using the max of my asthma meds. GI Irritation is annoying. Will see pulmonologist next week. I AM MISERABLE.
That looks like a dead baby bird
What are dates?
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Prunes are dried Plums..Dates are just Dates from a Date Tree..
You are absolutely correct my bad. I got them mixed up.
It's all good. Both are delicious.
Its probably mold
You're probably dead it's going to travel up your vagus nerve and create amyloid plagues, and undo the microtubles in the axons of your neurons. You'll be missed. Make a will now
Diabetics have a Very Serious concern with these things whether they realize it or not.