CRDConcept: fungi: components and products

Conceptual Reference Database for Building Envelope Research	Prev Next

Mycotoxins

Mycotoxins in water damaged buildings

PCR --polymerase chain reaction

WHO's definition for 'environmental health'

Concept:

fungi: components and products

In addition to spores, mold growth on building materials also produce other fungal components and products that could be potential agents for causing health problems and could be utilized for detection of mold growth. These can include fungal cell wall components (ergosterol, extracellular polysaccharides, and (1->3)-beta-D-glucan) and fungal metabolites and allergens (mycotoxins, MVOCs, and, allergens and antibodies).

Mycotoxin

"Fungal metabolites that cause a toxic response at low doses in vertebrates are referred to as mycotoxins. -- Nielsen, 2003, Mycotoxin production by indoor molds .. "a mycotoxin is any toxic fungal metabolite. Fungi produce a variety of secondary metabolites as a byproduct of their metabolism. Those capable of eliciting deleterious effects on other organisms are classified as mycotoxins." - Abbott, S. P., 2002, Mycotoxins and Indoor Molds.. Mycotoxicosis can be defined as illness resulting from ingestion, inhalation, or other involvement with mycotoxins. Mold mycotoxins of primary concern here elicit a harmful effect on humans. The thesis by Nielsen, K.F., 2002 on Mould growth on building materials: Secondary metabolites, mycotoxins and biomarkers also provided very comprehensive information (the thesis is available for download, Apr./03). References for above description:

Ergosterol

Ergosterol is a basic sterol (subgroup of fat-soluble organic compounds) of cellular membranes in filamentous fungi and yeast. It does not exist in plant cells. Reported levels in spores are 0.11 to 4.1 pg/spore.

Using erg as a measure of fungal growth in field samples (agricultural) was pioneered by Newell and Fallon, 1991, Toward a method for measuring instantaneous fungal growth rates in field samples .. Other researches have been conducted in context of mold growth in buildings, such as:

MISC INFO:

Medical abstracts on fungal exposure from around the world by Mold survivor

Hendry,M. Cole, Eugene "A Review of Mycotoxins in Indoor Air" J. of Toxicology and Environmental Health 1993 38: 183-198

Nielsen K.F., M.O. Hansen, T.O. Larsen, U. Tharne "Production of Trichothecene Mycotoxins on Water Damaged Gypsum Boards In Danish Buildings" Int. Biodeterioration & Biodegradation 42 1998 1-7

Sudakin, M.D., D. "Stachybotrys chartarum: Current Knowledge of It's Role in Disease" Med Gen. Med Feb. 29 2000

Michael Sweeney, Alan Dobson, "Molecular Biology of Mycotoxins Biosynthesis" FEMS Microbiology Letters 175 1999 p 149-163

Web Links (12):

Notes

Aerobiology- Fungal Populations in Indoor Air by Megan Hargreaves: A nice article about fungal stuff in indoor, toxin, and health
Air Sampling Guides: Links to Guide to NIOSH, OSHA and ASTM Air Sampling Methods; Guide to EPA Air Sampling Standards; Guide to HSE Air Sampling Standards; Passive (Diffusive) Sampling Guide. Other aerosol sampler information
Carleton University fungal metabolite research laboratory: damp housing and health, endophytic fungi in conifer needles and toxins in food ("the role of fungal metabolites in determining population structure"), by Dr. J. David Miller
Dr. Fungi: Extensive collection of non-technical info on fungi, 2000+ references. Emphasis on discausing species.
Mold survivor: Some articles on molds_health, with links.
Mycology at Technical University of Denmark, DTU: "a multi-disciplinary approach our fundamental research today covers all aspects of fungal evolution, secondary metabolism, mycotoxin production, physiology and ecology."
Mycotoxin List
Mycotoxins in water damaged buildings: for many fungal species and chemical composition "Determination of the mycotoxins actually produced in water-damaged buildings can most adequately be done by analyzing contaminated building materials."
NIST 02 - NIST/EPA/NIH Mass Spectral Library, and NIST MS Search Program for Windows: "a fully evaluated collection of electron impact (EI) mass spectra" of approximately 130,000 spectra of over 108,000 different compounds.
pathogenic fungi database - Institute of Medical Mycology (TIMM): The database includes list of 1631 species related to toxic fungi
Systematic Botany and Mycology databases: Searchable of fungi
Toxic Mold Injury Resources: very extensive resources regarding toxic mold, mold test kits, medical, by Heindl Law Firm

Related References (59)

--------: (1-->3) beta-D-glucan as a quantitative serological marker for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, by Yasuoka, A., Tachikawa, N., Shimada, K., Kimura, S. and Oka, S., 1996
--------: Air sampling for fungi in indoor environments, by Flannigan, B., 1997
--------: An airbone mold-derived product, -1,3-D-glucan, potentiates airway allergic responses, by Wan, G., Li, C.S. Guo, S.P. Rylander, R. adn Lin, R.H., 1999
--------: Application of biomarkers to assessment of risk to human health from exposure to mycotoxins, by Miraglia, M., Brera, C. and Colatosti, M., 1996
--------: Bioaerosols, fungi and mycotoxins: health effects, assessment, prevention and control, by Johanning, E. (Ed), 1999
--------: Bioaerosols: assessment and contro, by Macher, J. (Ed), 1999
--------: Characterisation of exposure to airborne fungi: Measurement of ergosterol, by Robine, E., Lacaze, I., Moularat, S., Ritoux, S., Boissier, M., 2005
MVOC: Characterizing moisture damaged buildings - environmental and biological monitoring, by Hyv?rinen, A., 2002
--------: Determination of ergosterol in organic dust by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry , by Axelsson, B., Saraf, A. and Larsson, L., 1995
--------: Determination of ergosterol on mouldy building materials using isotope dilution and gas chromatography--tandem mass spectrometry, by Nielsen, K. F. and Madsenc, J.?., 2000
--------: Determination of microbial chemical markers by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry - potential for diagnosis and studies on metabolism in situ , by Larsson, L., 1994
--------: Distribution and mycotoxin-producing ability of some fungal isolates from the air, by Cvetnic, Z. and Pepeljnjak, S., 1997
--------: Dustborne and airborne fungal propagules represent a different spectrum of fungi with differing relations to home characteristics, by Chew, G. L., Rogers, C., Burge, H. A., Muilenberg, M. L. and Gold, D. R., 2003
--------: Effect of growth medium on potential of Streptomyces anulatus spores to induce inflammatory responses and cytotoxicity in RAW264.7 macrophages, by Hirvonen, M., Suutari, M., Ruotsalainen, M., Lignell, U. and Nevalainen, A., 2001
--------: Elaboration and application of mathematical model for estimation of mould contamination of some building materials based on ergosterol content determination, by Gutarowska, B. and Zakowska, Z., 2002
--------: Ergosterol as an indicator of mould growth on wood in relation to culture age, humidity stress and nutrient level , by Bjurman, J., 1994
ergosterol: Ergosterol content in various fungal species and biocontaminated building materials , by Pasanen, A. L., Yli-pietila, K., Pasanen, P., Kalliokoski, P. and Tarhanen, J., 1999
--------: Evaluation of the genotoxic potential of some microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOC) with the comet assay, the micronucleus assay and the HPRT gene mutation assay , by Kreja, L. and Seidel, H., 2002
--------: Exposure to airborne fungi, MVOC and mycotoxins in biowaste-handling facilities, by Fischer, G., M¨ąller, T., Schwalbe, R., Ostrowski, R. and Dott, W., 2000
--------: From fungal exposure to disease: a biological monitoring conundrum , by Biagini, R. E., 2001
--------: Fungal fragments as indoor air biocontaminants, by Gorny, R. L., Reponen, T., Willeke, K., Schmechel, D., Robine, E., Boissier, M. and Grinshpun, S. A., 2002
--------: Growth and volatile metabolite production of Aspergillus versicolor in house dust, by Pasanen, P., Korpia, A., Kalliokoskia, P. and Pasanen, A., 1997
--------: Health effects of mycotoxins in indoor air: a critical review, by Robbins, C.A., Swenson, L.J., Nealley, M.L., Kelman, B.J. and Gots, R.E., 2000
--------: IAQ and human toxicosis: empirical evidence and theory, by Ammann, H. M., 2001
--------: Indicators of mold growth in indoor environments, by Vice, S.J, 2000
--------: Indoor air pollution by microorganisms and their metabolites, by Keller, H. S. R. and R¨ąden, H., 2004
fungal toxins: Indoor mold, toxigenic fungi, and Stachybotrys chartarum: infectious disease perspective, by Kuhn, D. M. and Ghannoum, M. A., 2003
--------: Measuring indoor fungal contaminants in rural West Bengal, India, with reference to allergy symptoms, by Bhattacharya, K., Raha, S. and Majumdar, M. R., 2001
--------: Microbial air pollutants - methods for the detection and identification of endotoxins, mycotoxins and MVOC, by Tilkes, F., Dott, W., Fischer, G., Grun, L., Harpel, S., Keller, R., Martens, W., Palmgren, U. and Seidel, H. J., 1999
--------: Microbodies in fungi - a review, by Carson, D. B. and Cooney, J. J., 1990
--------: Microscopic fungi and their metabolites in dwellings - a bioassay study, by Pieckov¨˘, E., Jesensk¨˘, M. Z. and Wilikins, K., 2001
--------: Molds, Mycotoxins, and Human Health, by Gray, M. R., 2002
metabolites: Mould growth on building materials: Secondary metabolites, mycotoxins and biomarkers, by Nielsen, K.F, 2002
--------: MVOC analysis for detection of microbial growth in buildings I. Variation of MVOC and mycotoxin patterns in aspergillus versicolor, by Wilkins, F., Nielsen, F. and Larsen, K., 1999
--------: Mycotoxin production by indoor molds , by Nielsen, K.F., 2003
--------: Mycotoxin spectra as a biochemical parameter for occupational and environmental fungus exposure , by M¨ąller, M., B¨ąnger, J., Hallier, E., 2001
--------: Mycotoxins and indoor air quality, by Jarvis, B. B., 1990
mycotoxins, Mycotoxicosis: Mycotoxins and Indoor Molds, by Abbott, S. P., 2002
--------: Mycotoxins in crude building materials from water-damaged buildings, by Tuomi, T., Reijula, K., Johnsson, T., Hemminki, K., Hintikka, E.L., Lindroos, O., Kalso, S., Koukila-Kahkola, P., 2000
bioaerosol samplers: Performance of bioaerosol samplers: collection characteristics and sampler design considerations, by Nevalainen, A., Pastuszka, J., Liebhaber, F. and Willeke, K., 1992
--------: Preparation of fungal spores for mycotoxin detection, by Murad, Y. M., Lewis, C. W., Anderson, J. G. and Smith, J. E., 1993
mycotoxins: Production of mycotoxins on artificially and naturally infested building materials, by Nielsen, K.F., Gravesen, S., Nielsen, P.A., Andersen, B., Thrane, U., Frisvad, J.C, 1999
--------: Production of mycotoxins on artificially inoculated building materials, by Nielsen, K. F., Thrane, U., Larsen, T. O., Nielsen, P. A. and Gravesen, S., 1998
--------: Quantification of ergosterol and 3-hydroxy fatty acids in settled house dust by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry: Comparison with fungal culture and determination of endotoxin by a Limulus amebocyte lysate assay , by Saraf, A., Larsson, L., Burge, H. and Milton, D., 1997
--------: Relationship of mould count, ergosterol and ochratoxin A production, by Saxena, J., Munimbazi, C., and Bullerman, L. B., 2001
erg: Relationship of mould count, ergosterol and ochratoxin A production, by Saxena, J., Munimbazi, C., and Bullerman, L. B., 2001
--------: Residential characteristics predict changes in Der p 1, Fel d 1 and ergosterol but not fungi over time , by Matheson, M.C., S. C. Dharmage, A. B. Forbes, et al., 2003
--------: Size distributions of airborne microbes in moisture-damaged and reference school buildings of two construction types, by Meklin, T., Reponen, T., Koponen, V., Husman, T., Hyvarinen, A. and Nevalainen, A., 2002
--------: Species-specific profiles of mycotoxins produced in cultures and associated with conidia of airborne fungi derived from biowaste, by Fischer, G., Muller, T., Schwalbe, R., Ostrowski, R. and Dott, W., 2000
--------: Stachybotrys chartarum: the toxic indoor mold, by Nelson, B. D., 2001
--------: TCDD: a Challenge to Mechanistic Toxicology, by Tuomisto, J. T., 1999
--------: The determination of ergosterol in environmental samples: an interdisciplinary project involving techniques of analytical and organic chemistry, by Volker, E.J., Dilella, D., Terneus, K., Baldwin, C. and Volker, I., 2000
--------: The use of ergosterol to measure exposure to fungal propagules in indoor air , by Miller, J. D. and Young, J. C., 1997
--------: Toxic Effects of Indoor Molds (RE9736), by American Academy of Pediatrics, 1998
--------: Volatile metabolite patterns for the identification of common indoor mold species, by Wilkins, K. and Abbott, S. P., 2000
--------: Volatile metabolites and other indicators of Penicillium aurantiogriseum growth on different substrates., by B?rjesson, U. S. and Schn¨ąrer, J., 1990
--------: Volatile metabolites of Serpula lacrymans, Coniophora puteana, Poria placenta, Stachybotrys chartarum and Chaetomium globosum , by Korpi, A., Pasanen, A. and Viitanen, H., 1999
--------: Volatile metabolites produced by six fungal species compared with other indicators of fungal growth on cereal grains , by Borjesson, T., Stollman, U. and Schnurer, J., 1992
MVOC: Volatile organic metabolites associated with some toxic fungi end their mycotoxins , by Pasanen, A. -L., Lappalainen, S. and Pasanen, P., 1996

CRDBER, at CBS, BCEE, ENCS, Concordia, June 2014