Mold spores are not the only concern, scientists say. Tinier pieces of mold called "fungal fragments" may be deeply inhaled and cause problems. Warning: Technical information follows. The content below is from the CDC:
We do not strictly control Google ad content. If you believe any Google ad is inappropriate, please email us directly here.
Exposure to fungi, particularly in water damaged indoor environments has been thought to exacerbate a number of adverse health effects including subjective symptoms such as fatigue, cognitive difficulties and problems with memory, to more definable diseases such as allergy, asthma and hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Understanding the role of fungal exposure in these environments has been limited by methodological difficulties in enumerating and identifying fungi in environmental air samples. Consequently, data on personal exposure and sensitization to fungal allergens has been restricted to the spores of a few select and easily identifiable species.
The contribution of airborne spores, hyphae and fungal fragments of other genera to exposure and allergic sensitization are poorly characterized. There is increased interest in the role of aerosolized fungal fragments following reports that the combination of hyphal fragments and spore counts improved the association with asthma severity. Such fragments are categorized as either sub-micronic (less than one micron) particles or larger fungal fragments. In vitro studies have shown that sub-micronic particles of several fungal species are aerosolized in much higher concentrations (300-500 times) compared to spores, and that respiratory deposition models suggest that particles of Stachybotrys chartarum may be deposited 230-250 fold higher than spores.
The practical implications of these models are yet to be determined for actual human exposures ... These findings highlight the contribution of larger fungal fragments as aeroallergen sources and present a new paradigm of fungal exposure.
Direct evidence of the associations between fungal fragments and building-related disease is lacking and in order to gain a better understanding, it will be necessary to develop diagnostic reagents and detection methods, particularly for sub-micronic particles. Monoclonal antibody-based assays enable the measurement of individual antigens but interpretation can be confounded by cross-reactivity between fungal species. The recent development of species-specific monoclonal antibodies, used in combination with a fluorescent-confocal HIA technique should, for the first time, enable the speciation of morphologically indiscernible fungal fragments. The application of this method will help to characterize the contribution of fungal fragments to adverse health effects due to fungi.
Conclusion
- Numbers of fungal fragments are in most cases more common than airborne spores.
- Larger fungal fragments are a significant aeroallergen source, presenting a new paradigm of natural fungal exposure.
- Currently, the airborne distribution and immunoreactivity of smaller submicron fungal fragments remains unknown.
- The development of innovative immunodetection methods will help to elucidate adverse health effects due to smaller fungal fragments in the environment.
Source: Airborne Fungal Fragments and Allergenicity; Brett J. Green, PhD;
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Morgantown, WV.
HHI Error Correction Policy
HHI is committed to accuracy of content and correcting information that is incomplete or inaccurate. With our broad scope of coverage of healthful indoor environments, and desire to rapidly publish info to benefit the community, mistakes are inevitable. HHI has established an error correction policy to welcome corrections or enhancements to our information. Please help us improve the quality of our content by contacting allen@healthyhouseinstitute.com with corrections or suggestions for improvement. Each contact will receive a respectful reply.
The Healthy House Institute (HHI), a for-profit educational LLC, provides the information on HealthyHouseInstitute.com as a free service to the public. The intent is to disseminate accurate, verified and science-based information on creating healthy home environments.
While an effort is made to ensure the quality of the content and credibility of sources listed on this site, HHI provides no warranty - expressed or implied - and assumes no legal liability for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, product or process disclosed on or in conjunction with the site. The views and opinions of the authors or originators expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of HHI: its principals, executives, Board members, advisors or affiliates.
