Candida and Fusarium species known as opportunistic human pathogens from customer-accessible parts of residential washing machines

Babič, Monika Novak; Zalar, Polona; Ženko, Bernard; Schroers, Hans-Josef; Džeroski, Sašo; Gunde‐Cimerman, Nina

doi:10.1016/j.funbio.2014.10.007

Cited by 72 publications

(89 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…People may come across them on a daily basis at different exposure points; directly while using water for drinking, bathing and showering, or indirectly due to the use of appliances connected to the water supply, for instance dishwashers and washing machines (Figure 1) [19,27,67,80]. …”

Section: Exposure To Fungi From Water In Indoor Environments and Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Examples of such are dishwashers and washing machines, where fungi from water are exposed to extreme life conditions like elevated temperatures, use of detergents and drastic pH changes [58,80]. Environmental pressure inside the appliances leads to the selection of polyextremotolerant water-related fungi, with many of them being recognised as opportunistic pathogens [58].…”

Section: Exposure To Fungi From Water In Indoor Environments and Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent ecological trends support washing at lower temperatures, 40 °C being the choice of most consumers [80]. Besides, use of biodegradable detergents and softeners leads to the formation of slimy film on plastic and rubber parts of washing machines, offering an ideal environment for biofilms [80,193]. Water-related fungi representing the core mycobiota of washing machines differed from those colonising dishwashers.…”

Section: Exposure To Fungi From Water In Indoor Environments and Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Fungal Contaminants in Drinking Water Regulation? A Tale of Ecology, Exposure, Purification and Clinical Relevance

Babič

Gunde‐Cimerman

Vargha

et al. 2017

IJERPH

Self Cite

127

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Microbiological drinking water safety is traditionally monitored mainly by bacterial parameters that indicate faecal contamination. These parameters correlate with gastro-intestinal illness, despite the fact that viral agents, resulting from faecal contamination, are usually the cause. This leaves behind microbes that can cause illness other than gastro-intestinal and several emerging pathogens, disregarding non-endemic microbial contaminants and those with recent pathogenic activity reported. This white paper focuses on one group of contaminants known to cause allergies, opportunistic infections and intoxications: Fungi. It presents a review on their occurrence, ecology and physiology. Additionally, factors contributing to their presence in water distribution systems, as well as their effect on water quality are discussed. Presence of opportunistic and pathogenic fungi in drinking water can pose a health risk to consumers due to daily contact with water, via several exposure points, such as drinking and showering. The clinical relevance and influence on human health of the most common fungal contaminants in drinking water is discussed. Our goal with this paper is to place fungal contaminants on the roadmap of evidence based and emerging threats for drinking water quality safety regulations.

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Section: Exposure To Fungi From Water In Indoor Environments and Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Exposure To Fungi From Water In Indoor Environments and Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Exposure To Fungi From Water In Indoor Environments and Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Fungal Contaminants in Drinking Water Regulation? A Tale of Ecology, Exposure, Purification and Clinical Relevance

Babič

Gunde‐Cimerman

Vargha

et al. 2017

IJERPH

Self Cite

127

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, modern society uses substantial amounts of tap-water for showering, bathing, cooking, and cleaning [1,54]; most frequently performed with household appliances, such as washing machines and dishwashers. They represent novel niches for propagation of waterborne fungi, particularly polyextremotolerant species Exophiala dermatitidis and E. phaeomuriformis , and these should be taken into consideration for risk assessment linked to fungal diseases [15,17,55]. Together with the above-mentioned fungi, Phialophora (Herpotrichiellaceae) and Ochroconis (Sympoventuriaceae) were recently linked to nutrient-poor tap-water [30,31] and indoor wet niches, such as bathrooms and washing machines [15,55].…”

Section: Water-related Filamentous Fungi As Causative Agents Of Opmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They represent novel niches for propagation of waterborne fungi, particularly polyextremotolerant species Exophiala dermatitidis and E. phaeomuriformis , and these should be taken into consideration for risk assessment linked to fungal diseases [15,17,55]. Together with the above-mentioned fungi, Phialophora (Herpotrichiellaceae) and Ochroconis (Sympoventuriaceae) were recently linked to nutrient-poor tap-water [30,31] and indoor wet niches, such as bathrooms and washing machines [15,55]. Some species within Phialophora and Ochroconis were reported as causative agents of cutaneous and subcutaneous infections (Table 2) [8].…”

Section: Water-related Filamentous Fungi As Causative Agents Of Opmentioning

confidence: 99%

Opportunistic Water-Borne Human Pathogenic Filamentous Fungi Unreported from Food

et al. 2018

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Clean drinking water and sanitation are fundamental human rights recognized by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and the Human Rights Council in 2010 (Resolution 64/292). In modern societies, water is not related only to drinking, it is also widely used for personal and home hygiene, and leisure. Ongoing human population and subsequent environmental stressors challenge the current standards on safe drinking and recreational water, requiring regular updating. Also, a changing Earth and its increasingly frequent extreme weather events and climatic changes underpin the necessity to adjust regulation to a risk-based approach. Although fungi were never introduced to water quality regulations, the incidence of fungal infections worldwide is growing, and changes in antimicrobial resistance patterns are taking place. The presence of fungi in different types of water has been thoroughly investigated during the past 30 years only in Europe, and more than 400 different species were reported from ground-, surface-, and tap-water. The most frequently reported fungi, however, were not waterborne, but are frequently related to soil, air, and food. This review focuses on waterborne filamentous fungi, unreported from food, that offer a pathogenic potential.

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Mycobial community assemblages in sink drains across a university campus

et al. 2022

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Multiple fungal species, including potential opportunistic pathogens have been previously identified in water systems. Here, we investigated over 250 restroom sink fungal communities across a university campus and evaluated their diversity and core taxa present. Remarkable similarity in mycobial community composition was observed across buildings with Ascomycota consistently dominating. We found a core mycobiome independent of the building sampled, that included Exophiala species, potential opportunistic pathogenic black yeasts. Other prevalent and dominant taxa included Saccharomyces and Fusarium, common built environment fungi. The frequent presence of Malassezia, a common skin commensal, showed the external influence of human activities as a source of fungi to sinks. The study represents a novel exploration of sink P‐traps mycobial communities from a public area and highlights their importance as reservoirs of possible pathogenic fungi, as well as emphasizing the relevance of further research in this understudied ecosystem within the built environment.

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Candida and Fusarium species known as opportunistic human pathogens from customer-accessible parts of residential washing machines

Cited by 72 publications

References 70 publications

Fungal Contaminants in Drinking Water Regulation? A Tale of Ecology, Exposure, Purification and Clinical Relevance

Fungal Contaminants in Drinking Water Regulation? A Tale of Ecology, Exposure, Purification and Clinical Relevance

Opportunistic Water-Borne Human Pathogenic Filamentous Fungi Unreported from Food

Mycobial community assemblages in sink drains across a university campus

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