Survey of fungal contamination in ordinary houses in Japan

Ara, Katsutoshi; Aihara, Masahiko; Ojima, Miyuki; Toshima, Yasuhiko; Yabune, Chiaki; Tokuda, Harukuni; Kawai, Shun; Ueda, Nobuo; Tanaka, Tatsuaki; Akiyama, Kazuo; Takatori, Kosuke

doi:10.1111/j.1440-1592.2004.00356.x

Cited by 16 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Cladosporium was the most prevalent fungus in the houses, as reported previously [15]. Houses of the positive and negative groups showed no marked differences in detection of fungi other than Penicillium .…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

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Detection of Fungi in Indoor Environments and Fungus-Specific IgE Sensitization in Allergic Children

Nambu

Kouno

Aihara-Tanaka

et al. 2009

World Allergy Organization Journal

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BackgroundThe aim of this study is to investigate relationships between fungal colonization in the house and IgE sensitization to fungi, and to clarify the effects of house care in relation to fungi.Materials and MethodsWe measured levels of fungi in the houses of 52 allergic children. Of these, 32 children displayed detectable levels of IgE (≥ 0.35 UA/ml) to a combination of fungi (positive group). The remaining 20 children were not sensitized to fungi (negative group). Each fungus-specific IgE level was also measured in sera of the positive group, and a questionnaire-based survey was conducted for daily lifestyles.ResultsCladosporium was the most prevalent in the houses. From the 32 sera of the positive group, specific IgE levels ≥ 0.70 UA/ml were most frequently detected in 21 sera for Alternaria. Children in whose houses Alternaria was found displayed higher levels of Alternaria-IgE than those in whose houses where Alternaria was not found. In addition, Alternaria-IgE level was lower for children using an air purifier than for children who were not. Windows were more frequently opened for ventilation in negative-group houses than in positive-group houses.ConclusionsThe existence of Alternaria might strongly induce IgE sensitization for Alternaria. Using an air purifier and frequently opening windows may minimize fungal sensitization of allergic children.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…Samples were taken only once. Although seasonal changes in fungus detection in the indoor environment are reportedly small,[15] periodic measurement of fungi on multiple occasions in wider areas would have been preferable.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detection of Fungi in Indoor Environments and Fungus-Specific IgE Sensitization in Allergic Children

Nambu

Kouno

Aihara-Tanaka

et al. 2009

World Allergy Organization Journal

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“…Together, these approaches have identified fungi that grow indoors when water is available (for example, Ara et al , 2004; Anderson et al , 2011; Zalar et al , 2011), that are shed from humans or pets (Paulino et al , 2006), and that have obvious outdoor origins (Pitkaranta et al , 2008). From recent studies that relied on PCR-based techniques to assess total fungal assemblages in two pairs of buildings with and without water damage, we know that fungi in settled dust are diverse, that variation between buildings can be large and fluctuate with the outdoor air, and that, as a result, there may not be a typical profile of indoor fungi that distinguishes the two types of buildings (Huttunen et al , 2008; Pitkaranta et al , 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dispersal in microbes: fungi in indoor air are dominated by outdoor air and show dispersal limitation at short distances

et al. 2013

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The indoor microbiome is a complex system that is thought to depend on dispersal from the outdoor biome and the occupants' microbiome combined with selective pressures imposed by the occupants' behaviors and the building itself. We set out to determine the pattern of fungal diversity and composition in indoor air on a local scale and to identify processes behind that pattern. We surveyed airborne fungal assemblages within 1-month time periods at two seasons, with high replication, indoors and outdoors, within and across standardized residences at a university housing facility. Fungal assemblages indoors were diverse and strongly determined by dispersal from outdoors, and no fungal taxa were found as indicators of indoor air. There was a seasonal effect on the fungi found in both indoor and outdoor air, and quantitatively more fungal biomass was detected outdoors than indoors. A strong signal of isolation by distance existed in both outdoor and indoor airborne fungal assemblages, despite the small geographic scale in which this study was undertaken (<500 m). Moreover, room and occupant behavior had no detectable effect on the fungi found in indoor air. These results show that at the local level, outdoor air fungi dominate the patterning of indoor air. More broadly, they provide additional support for the growing evidence that dispersal limitation, even on small geographic scales, is a key process in structuring the often-observed distance–decay biogeographic pattern in microbial communities.

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“…53 Alternaria can occur in indoor environments, especially under humid conditions, such as cervices in bathrooms and walls with dew condensation. 17 However, the clinical relevance of Alternaria spp. as indoor fungi has not been deeply studied.…”

Section: Alternariamentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensitization to fungal allergens: Resolved and unresolved issues

Fukutomi

Taniguchi

2015

Allergology International

176

136

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Exposure and sensitization to fungal allergens can promote the development and worsening of allergic diseases. Although numerous species of fungi have been associated with allergic diseases in the literature, the significance of fungi from the genera Alternaria, Cladosporium, Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Malassezia has been well documented. However, it should be emphasized that the contribution of different fungal allergens to allergic diseases is not identical, but species-specific. Alternaria and Cladosporium species are considered to be important outdoor allergens, and sensitization and exposure to species of these genera is related to the development of asthma and rhinitis, as well as epidemics of asthma exacerbation, including life-threatening asthma exacerbation. In contrast, xerophilic species of Penicillium and Aspergillus, excluding Aspergillus fumigatus, are implicated in allergic diseases as indoor allergens. A. fumigatus has a high capacity to colonize the bronchial tract of asthmatic patients, causing severe persistent asthma and low lung function, and sometimes leading to allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. Malassezia are common commensals of healthy skin, although they are also associated with atopic dermatitis, especially on the head and neck, but not with respiratory allergies. Despite its importance in the management of allergic diseases, precise recognition of species-specific IgE sensitization to fungal allergens is often challenging because the majority of fungal extracts exhibit broad cross-reactivity with taxonomically unrelated fungi. Recent progress in gene technology has contributed to the identification of specific and cross-reactive allergen components from different fungal sources. However, data demonstrating the clinical relevance of IgE reactivity to these allergen components are still insufficient.

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Survey of fungal contamination in ordinary houses in Japan

Cited by 16 publications

References 10 publications

Detection of Fungi in Indoor Environments and Fungus-Specific IgE Sensitization in Allergic Children

Detection of Fungi in Indoor Environments and Fungus-Specific IgE Sensitization in Allergic Children

Dispersal in microbes: fungi in indoor air are dominated by outdoor air and show dispersal limitation at short distances

Sensitization to fungal allergens: Resolved and unresolved issues

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