Environmental mycology and its importance to public health

Abstract

In this era of the widespread use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, corticosteroids, cytotoxic agents and other immunosuppressants, coupled with the increasingly stressful life styles demanded by modern civilization, it is hard to draw a sharp line between pathogenic and non-pathogenic fungi. Most of the moulds and yeasts, whether primary pathogens, or opportunistic, allergenic or toxigenic fungi, occur in nature as soil-dwelling saprobes or plant pathogens from where they are released into the air. Fungal infections observed in susceptible hosts, in the main, are actually acquired from their own surroundings. While substantial attention has been paid to the occurrence of well-recognized agents of classic mycotic diseases, the health implications of common environmental fungi have drawn relatively less attention. The objective of this communication is, therefore, to examine various aspects of environmental mycology in relation to human health. Since fungi of any serious economic importance are seldom at home in water, this communication does not address aquatic fungi. Instead food, which is frequently affected by fungi and in turn profoundly affects human health, has been included. Relationship of fungi to the sick building syndrome and building related illnessesThe 'sick building syndrome' (SBS) and 'building related illnesses' (BRI) may be characterized as phenomena that gained recognition in North America as a public health problem after this region had experienced several energy crises. The quest to make large buildings more energy efficient resulted in reduced air exchange with the outdoors. As a result, indoor concentrations of tobacco smoke, carbon monoxide, nitrous dioxide, and volatile organic compounds, such as formaldehyde and tetrachloroethylene, either singly or in combination, increased. These chemical factors are probably the most common causes of occupant complaints leading to a SBS designation for a particular structure [64,65]. As yet there are no sets of standards for defining SBS and BRI. In general 'substantial' numbers of complaints of headaches, flu-like symptoms, difficulty in breathing, or of burning eyes by inhabitants are

Air microbial contamination and factors affecting its occurrence in certain book libraries in Egypt.

“…Indoor microorganisms may cause health symptoms (Mishra et al, 1992). In the present work the severity of health symptoms was higher among employees at the older library, indoor air quality was worse at the older library.…”

Microbiological analysis of bioaerosols collected from Hospital Emergency Departments and ambulances

“…Flannigan, Dutkiewicz et al and Rainer et al declare that fungi present in humid indoor spaces may be responsible for asthma and/or hay fever and alveolitis alergica [25,26,27]. These fungi may also be the cause of immunotoxicity [28,29]. The fungi posing the largest threat to human health and found in the air samples tested were the following species: Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus flavus.…”

Causes of Indoor Air Quality Problems in Schools: Summary of Scientific Research

“…HVAC systems have been associated with increased airborne densities of fungi of various genera, particularly Cladosporium and Penicillium (Hirsch, Hirsch, and Kalbfleisch 1978;Mishra et al 1992). Ahearn et al (1991) reported the colonization of painted metal surfaces of HVAC systems by Cladosporium sp.…”

“…In such cases, the fungi do not use the metal or concrete for their growth but, rather, use the water and organic debris on the surface, 15 including organics absorbed from the air (Nevalainen 1993;Ahearn et al 1996). Fungi that have been isolated commonly from indoor environments include species of Aspergillus, Penicillium, Cladosporium, Alternaria and Aureobasidium species (Bisett 1987;Nelson et al 1988;Ahearn et al 1991;Mishra et al 1992;Ahearn et al 1992a;. These fungi usually are recovered from sources such as wood rot in domestic interiors, wall coverings, house dust, pets, and houseplants (Mishra et al 1992;Ahearn et al 1992b).…”