Mold burden in house dust and its relationship with asthma control

Abstract

Some evidences indicate that exposure to molds or their products can be relevant for the loss of asthma control. Thus, we measured the mold burden present inside houses of subjects with asthma, and evaluated its relationship with asthma control. Methods: Markers of asthma control in adult patients residing in Mexico City were evaluated through questionnaires and spirometry. Dust was collected from the patients' houses and its fungal content was determined by mold specific quantitative PCR (MSQPCR) for 36 fungal species. Results: Forty-two patients with asthma (12 males, 30 females) with a mean age of 45 years (18-76 years) were included in the study. The level of asthma control measured through the Asthma Control Test ranged from 9 to 25 (mean 20.9). The FEV 1 /FVC ratio fluctuated from 38 to 106 %predicted (mean, 87.4 %predicted). Associations between mold burden and asthma control differed between males and females. Thus, concentrations of some molds, particularly Aspergillus fumigatus, Aureobasidium pullulans, Stachybotrys chartarum, Alternaria alternata, Cladosporium cladosporioides 2, Cladosporium herbarum, and Epicoccum nigrum, were negatively associated with parameters of asthma control in male subjects, but not in female patients. Conclusion: Our results showed that potential indoor exposure to some molds is associated with less asthma control in male subjects.

Evaluating the effect of building construction periods on household dampness/mold and childhood diseases corresponding to different energy efficiency design requirements

“…Moreover, a number of different types of mold exist and the F I G U R E 6 Maximum mold index over the course of a year on the inner wall surface conditions for mold growth differ from one incidence to another. 31,80 This study, as well as most epidemiological studies on building dampness, is based on self-reported information from questionnaires, in which recall bias may exist. 7 Only a few studies have assessed household dampness by inspection or in situ measurements.…”

“…We attributed such differences to the various methods and measurements adopted in these researches, with variance in self‐reporting, inspection, measurement, and simulation. Moreover, a number of different types of mold exist and the conditions for mold growth differ from one incidence to another 31,80 . This study, as well as most epidemiological studies on building dampness, is based on self‐reported information from questionnaires, in which recall bias may exist 7 .…”

Prioritizing Disease-Related Microbes Based on the Topological Properties of a Comprehensive Network

“… Dong et al (2020) showed that treatment with Gu–Ben–Fang–Xiao Decoction (GBFXD) increased the abundance of Lachnospiraceae in asthmatic mice, which consequently led to elevated levels of short-chain fatty acids. Patricia et al found that the abundance of Epicoccum was negatively associated with male asthma patients ( Segura-Medina et al, 2019 ).…”

Exposures in the Indoor Environment and Prevalence of Allergic Conditions in the United States of America

“…In fact carpets concentrate more dust than non-carpeted floors; thus, for example, Heinrich et al (2003) [ 41 ] have standardized approaches for vacuuming carpeted (dusting 1 m 2 ) and non-carpeted floors (dusting the whole room). NHANES did not test for Alternaria or Cladosporium allergens, or black molds (e.g., Stachybotrys chartarum ), which are increasingly acknowledged allergenic sources and may be associated with worse asthma control in some cases (Segura-Medina et al, 2019) [ 42 ], this being another limitation of our study. A cluster analysis that Mendy et al (2020) [ 43 ] used would have assessed real life exposures.…”