This Week: Stachybotrys chartarum
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Under The Scope
www.edlab.org
Pure Air Control Services and the Environmental Diagnostics Laboratory are pleased to introduce "Under the Scope", a new section of the IEQ REVIEW. There are over 100,000 species of fungi. Many fungi are good and useful (edible mushrooms would be an example of these) while some cause problems (some fungi can injure plants and humans). Every week the IEQ Review will describe a specific microorganism, its morphological origin and potential health effects. If you would like to know about a specific organism and/or would like it published in The IEQ Review please email Dr. Rajiv Sahay with the Environmental Diagnostics Laboratory (EDL) at Pure Air Control Services laboratory@pureaircontrols.com
This week we will cover ...
Stachybotrys chartarum: A rapidly growing fungus that produces a white colony that becomes black with age with a reverse that is white but becomes black. Growth occurs within five days when incubated at 25C (77F). It has worldwide distribution and is commonly isolated from soil, desert soil, saline soil, sewage sludge, compost, seawater, fresh water, decaying plant substrates, moldy hay and straw, vegetables and grasses, bird feathers, frescoes of a monastery, wall paper, gypsum board, and wood wall panels. It is capable of decomposing cellulose, chitin, and wool. It produces trichothecene mycotoxins in its mycelium that causes stachybotryotoxicosis in animals and man. Animal stachybotryotoxicosis is caused by the ingestion of mycotoxin contaminated food.
Health Effects: In man, stachybotryotoxicosis is caused by the inhalation of the mycotoxin which produces upper respiratory and/or neurologic symptoms, including dermatitis, coughing, rhinitis, irritated throat, fever, headache, feebleness and fatigue. Individuals with chronic exposure to the toxin produced by this fungus reported cold and flu sysptoms, sore troats, diarrhea, headaches, fatigue, dermatitis, intermittent local hair loss, and generalized malaise. The toxins produced by this fungus will suppress the immune system affecting the lymphoid tissue and the bone marrow.
Animals injected with the toxin from this fungus exhibited the following symptoms: necrosis and hemorrhage within the brain, thymus, spleen, intestine, lung, heart, lymph node, liver, and kidney. Affects by absorption of the toxin in the human lung are known as pneumomycosis.
For more information on microorganisms, IEQ investigations or laboratory samples and protocols please contact:
Dr. Rajiv Sahay
Pure Air Control Services
1-800-422-7873 ext 204
laboratory@pureaircontrols.com
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