Spore Name Description

VARIOUS TYPES OF MOLDS WE HAVE FOUND AND THEIR LOCATIONS.

 

ALTERNARIA  (ATTIC)

EXTREMELY WIDESPREAD AND COMMON SPORE. COMMON IN SOIL, DEAD

PLANTS, AND FOODSTUFFS. IT IS OFTEN FOUND INDOORS GROWING ON

CELLULOSIC MATERIALS AND AS SETTLED DUST ON CARPETS, TEXTILES, ETC.

POTENTIAL OPPORTUNISTIC HUMAN PATHOGEN. COMMONLY RECOGNIZED AS

TYPE I (HAY FEVER) AND TYPE III HYPERSENSITIVITY PNEUMONITIS

 

CHAETOMIUM 

COMMONLY FOUND ON A VARIETY OF SUBSTANCES CONTAINING CELLULOSE INCLUDING PAPER AND PLANT COMPOST. IT CAN READILY BE FOUND ON THE DAMP OR WATER DAMAGED PAPER IN SHEETROCK. THE THERMPOHILIC, NEUROTROPIC NATURE OF THIS ORGANISM SUGGESTS IT IS

POTENTIALLY AGGRESSIVE. NO TOXIC DISEASES HAVE BEEN DOCUMENTED TO DATE.

 

CLADOSPORIUM  (ATTIC)  

COMMONLY FOUND ON DEAD PLANTS, WOODY PLANTS, FOOD, STRAW, SOIL, PAINT AND TEXTILES. COMMON CAUSE OF EXTRINSIC ASTHMA (IMMEDIATE-TYPE HYPERSENSITIVITY: TYPE I). ACUTE SYMPTOMS INCLUDE EDEMA AND BRONCHIOSPASMS; CHRONIC CASES MAY DEVELOP

PULMONARY EMPHYSEMA.

 

CURVULARIA

IT MAY CAUSE CORNEAL INFECTIONS, MYCETOMA AND INFECTIONS IN IMMUNE

COMPROMISED HOSTS.

 

DICYMA

NO INFORMATION IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE WITH REGARDING THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF THIS MOLD. IT IS COMMONLY FOUND ON WOODY MATERIALS, CARDBOARD, PAPER AND OTHER CELLULOSIC

MATERIALS.

 

EPICOCCUM

 A common alergen found IN PLANTS, soil, grains, textiles, AND paper products. secondary invader of damaged plant tissue. common cause of type 1 allergies (hay fever, asthma) no cases of infection have been reported in humans or animals.

 

FUSARIUM  (HUMIDIFIER)

 A COMMON SOIL FUNGUS. IT IS FOUND ON A WIDE VARIETY OF PLANTS. THE FUNGUS ALSO HAS BEEN FOUND IN HUMIDIFIERS. SYMPTOMS MAY OCCUR EITHER THROUGH INGESTION OF CONTAMINATED FOODS OR INHALATION OF SPORES. IN SEVERE CASES, THE FUNGUS CAN PRODUCE HEMORRHAGIC SYNDROME IN HUMANS. THIS IS CHARACTERIZED BY NAUSEA, VOMITING, DIARRHEA, DERMATITIS, AND EXTENSIVE INTERNAL BLEEDING. FREQUENTLY INVOLVED IN EYE, SKIN, AND NAIL INFECTIONS.

 

GANODERMA

CONSIDERED A BASIDIOSPORE. EDIBLE IN MUSHROOM FORM AND A VERY

IMPORTANT IN THE FOOD INDUSTRIES.

 

OTHER BASIDIOSPORES

SPORES FROM ONE OF THE MAJOR CLASSES OF FUNGI THAT INCLUDE, FOR EXAMPLE, THE MUSHROOMS, SHELF FUNGI, AND PUFFBALLS.

 

MEMNONIELLA

Memnoniella is commonly found in soil and often found together with stachybotrys. It is suggested that memnoniella should be considered potentially dangerous in indoor air. The aerodynamic diameter of mimnoniella is smaller than stachybotrys.

 

PENICILLIUM   

Commonly found in soil, food, cellulose, and grains. It is also found in paint and compost piles. It may cause hypersensitivity pneumonitis and allergic alveolitis in susceptible individuals. Common cause of extrinsic asthma (immediate-type hypersensitivity: type 1) Acute symptoms include edema and bronchiospams; chronic cases may develop pulmonary emphysema.

 

PENICILLIUM/ASPERGILLUS (ATTIC)

THIS GROUP IS CONSIDERED COMMON TO INDOOR ENVIRONMENTS. IT IS WIDESPREAD IN THE SOIL AND ON PLANTS AND IS ALSO CONSIDERED A COMMON CONTAMINANT OF FOOD. IT HAS A MUSTY ODOR. IT IS COMMONLY BEING IMPLICATED IN PULMONARY DISEASE IN IMMUNOCOMPROMISED HOSTS. IT HAS ALSO BEEN REPORTED TO CAUSE SKIN INFECTIONS.

MANY SPECIES PRODUCE MYCOTOXINS, WHICH MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH DISEASE IN HUMANS AND OTHER ANIMALS. TOXIN PRODUCTION IS DEPENDENT ON THE STRAIN, OR ON THE FOOD SOURCE ON WHICH IT GROWS. SOME OF THESE TOXINS HAVE BEEN FOUND TO BE CARCINOGENIC IN ANIMAL SPECIES. SEVERAL TOXINS ARE CONSIDERED POTENTIAL HUMAN CARCINOGENS.

 

PITHOMYCES

GROWS ON DEAD GRASS AND PLANTS. PROLONGED EXPOSURE CAN CAUSE

FACIAL ECZEMA. CAUSES TYPE II ALLERGIES (HAYFEVER TYPE SYMPTOMS, ASTHMA).

 

 

RHIZOPUS/MUCOR  

IT MAY CAUSE MUCOROSIS IN IMMUNE COMPROMISED INDIVIDUALS. THE SITES OF INFECTION ARE THE LUNG, SINUS, BRAIN, EYE, AND SKIN. INFECTION MAY HAVE MULTIPLE SITES.

 

STACHYBOTRYS (BASEMENT)

 THIS IS A SLOW GROWING, DARK MOLD THAT GROWS WELL ON CELLULOSIC

(PAPER-CONTAINING) BUILDING MATERIALS. IT CAN PRODUCE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT MACROCYCLIC TRICHOTHECENES WHICH HAVE BEEN DESCIRBED AS BEING TOXIC TO HUMANS AND ANIMALS. INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO THE TOXINS PRODUCED BY THIS MOLD REPORT COLD AND FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS, SORE THROATS, HEADACHES, FATIGUE, DERMATITIS, ITCHING AND BURNING SENSATIONS OF THE EYES AND NOSE, AND GENERAL MALAISE. THISMOLD IS RARELY FOUND IN OUTDOOR SAMPLES, AND IT IS USUALLY NOT FOUND IN INDOOR AIRSAMPLES UNLESS THE COLONY IS DRY IS THEN PHYSICALLY DISTURBED.

 

STEMPHYLIUM

 Isolated from dead plants, cellulose material, soil and commomn in air samples in the late summer and fall. Certain species can occur as leaf-spotting parasites of hosts such as tomatoes and other plants. Often the cause of sinusitis, hay fever and asthma. can also cause keratomycosis, skin infections, osteomyelitis, pulmonary disease and nasal septum infections.

 

TORULA 

Commonly found in soil, dead herbaceous stems, WOOD, GRASSES, SUGAR beet root, groundnuts and oats. causes type 1 allergies (hay fever, asthma). no report of human infection

 

TRICHODERMA

Present in nearly all soils and in diverse habitats. Common on dead trees, paper and unglazed ceramics. Often grows on other fungi. readily degrades cellulose. may cause a mycotoxicosis similar to that of some species of stachybotrys, producing trichothecenes, gliotoxins, t-2 toxin and trichodermin.

 

ULOCLADIUM  (ATTIC)

ISOLATED FROM DEAD PLANTS, CELLULOSE MATERIALS, AND TEXTILES. CAUSES TYPE II ALLERGIES (HAYFEVER, FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS).