Abstract
There has been increasing public attention to the potential health risks of mold exposure, particularly in wet buildings. A variety of molds has been isolated from both damaged homes and businesses, including agents that secrete toxigenic materials. One area that is attracting particular notice is the relative toxigenic potential of mycotoxins. Although exposure to molds can produce significant mucosal irritation, there are very few data to suggest long-term ill effects. More importantly, there is no evidence in humans that mold exposure leads to nonmucosal pathology. In fact, many of the data on toxigenic molds are derived from animal toxicity studies, and these are based primarily on ingestion. Although every attempt should be made to improve the quality of indoor air, including avoidance of molds, the human illnesses attributed to fungal exposure are, with the exception of invasive infections and mold allergy, relatively rare. In this review we discuss selected aspects of the microbiology of mycotoxin-producing molds and their potential role in human immunopathology with respect to wet building environments.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 191-201 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Journal of Asthma |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2002 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
Cite this
Studies of sick building syndrome. IV. Mycotoxicosis. / Assouline-Dayan, Yehudith; Leong, Albin; Shoenfeld, Yehuda; Gershwin, M. Eric.
In: Journal of Asthma, Vol. 39, No. 3, 2002, p. 191-201.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Studies of sick building syndrome. IV. Mycotoxicosis
AU - Assouline-Dayan, Yehudith
AU - Leong, Albin
AU - Shoenfeld, Yehuda
AU - Gershwin, M. Eric
PY - 2002
Y1 - 2002
N2 - There has been increasing public attention to the potential health risks of mold exposure, particularly in wet buildings. A variety of molds has been isolated from both damaged homes and businesses, including agents that secrete toxigenic materials. One area that is attracting particular notice is the relative toxigenic potential of mycotoxins. Although exposure to molds can produce significant mucosal irritation, there are very few data to suggest long-term ill effects. More importantly, there is no evidence in humans that mold exposure leads to nonmucosal pathology. In fact, many of the data on toxigenic molds are derived from animal toxicity studies, and these are based primarily on ingestion. Although every attempt should be made to improve the quality of indoor air, including avoidance of molds, the human illnesses attributed to fungal exposure are, with the exception of invasive infections and mold allergy, relatively rare. In this review we discuss selected aspects of the microbiology of mycotoxin-producing molds and their potential role in human immunopathology with respect to wet building environments.
AB - There has been increasing public attention to the potential health risks of mold exposure, particularly in wet buildings. A variety of molds has been isolated from both damaged homes and businesses, including agents that secrete toxigenic materials. One area that is attracting particular notice is the relative toxigenic potential of mycotoxins. Although exposure to molds can produce significant mucosal irritation, there are very few data to suggest long-term ill effects. More importantly, there is no evidence in humans that mold exposure leads to nonmucosal pathology. In fact, many of the data on toxigenic molds are derived from animal toxicity studies, and these are based primarily on ingestion. Although every attempt should be made to improve the quality of indoor air, including avoidance of molds, the human illnesses attributed to fungal exposure are, with the exception of invasive infections and mold allergy, relatively rare. In this review we discuss selected aspects of the microbiology of mycotoxin-producing molds and their potential role in human immunopathology with respect to wet building environments.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0036267180&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0036267180&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1081/JAS-120002468
DO - 10.1081/JAS-120002468
M3 - Article
C2 - 12043850
AN - SCOPUS:0036267180
VL - 39
SP - 191
EP - 201
JO - Journal of Asthma
JF - Journal of Asthma
SN - 0277-0903
IS - 3
ER -