page_title: Penicillium rubens
section_title: Biology
hierarchical_section_title: Penicillium rubens / Biology
caption_attribution_description: English: Penicillium rubens CBS 205.57 (Fleming’s original penicillin-producer). A–C. Colonies 7 d old 25 °C. A. CYA. B. MEA. C. YES. D–H. Condiophores. I. Conidia. Bars = 10 µm.
context_page_description: Penicillium rubens is a species of fungus in the genus Penicillium and was the first species known to produce the antibiotic penicillin. It was first described by Philibert Melchior Joseph Ehi Biourge in 1923. For the discovery of penicillin from this species Alexander Fleming shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1945. The original penicillin-producing type has been variously identified as Penicillium rubrum, P. notatum, and P. chrysogenum among others, but genomic comparison and phylogenetic analysis in 2011 resolved that it is P. rubens. It is the best source of penicillins and produces benzylpenicillin, phenoxymethylpenicillin (V) and octanoylpenicillin. It also produces other important bioactive compounds such as andrastin, chrysogine, fungisporin, roquefortine, and sorbicillins.
context_section_description: P. rubens is a common fungus of indoor environment. Along with Cladosporium halotolerans and Aspergillus niger, it is one of the nuisance moulds when humidity is high. It is the most resilient mould as it needs less water for growth and propagation. It has a soft and velvety surface. The spore-bearing filaments, conidiophores are smooth and measure 200-300 µm in length. The hairy surface, penicilli are 8-12 µm long. The conidia are smooth-walled, ellipsoidal in shape, measuring 2.5-4.0 µm long, and are blue or bluish-green in colour. It exists in a number of strains, of which the most important are Fleming’s strain  (designated CBS 205.57 or NRRL 824 or IBT 30142) from which the first penicillin was discovered and the Wisconsin strain (NRRL1951) obtained from a cantaloupe in Peoria, Illinois, in 1944 and has been used for industrial production of penicillin G. The original Wisconsin strain itself has been produced in a variety of strains.
caption: Penicillium rubens (CBS 205.57 = NRRL 824 = IBT 30142), Fleming’s original penicillin-producer. A–C. Colonies seven-day old 25°C. A. Colonies in Czapek yeast extract agar. B. Colonies in malt extract agar. C. Colonies in yeast extract sucrose agar. D–H. Condiophores. I. Conidia. Bars = 10 µm.
exif: {}