Rhizopus microsporus | |
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Rhizopus microsporus sporangium containing sporangiospores | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Fungi |
Division: | Mucoromycota |
Class: | Mucoromycetes |
Order: | Mucorales |
Family: | Mucoraceae |
Genus: | Rhizopus |
Species: | R. microsporus
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Binomial name | |
Rhizopus microsporus Tiegh. (1875)
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Synonyms | |
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Rhizopus microsporus is a fungal plant pathogen infecting maize, sunflower, and rice.
A domesticated variant of this species is used in the preparation of traditional soy fermentation such as tempeh and sufu (see Rhizopus oligosporus).
It can also cause a nosocomial infection and necrosis to the infected area, particularly prevalent in pre-term infants. This fungus contains the bacterial endosymbiont Paraburkholderia rhizoxinica that produces the antitumor drug rhizoxin.[1]