Mycotoxin Production by Indoor Molds (Denmark study)

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Mycotoxin production by indoor molds

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Kristian Fog Nielsen

The Mycology Group, BioCentrum-DTU, Building 221, Technical University of

Denmark, DK-2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark

Received 2 January 2003; accepted 6 March 2003. ; Available online 29 April

2003.

AbstractFungal growth in buildings starts at a water activity (aw) near 0.8, but

significant quantities of mycotoxins are not produced unless aw reaches 0.95.

Stachybotrys generates particularly high quantities of many chemically distinct

metabolites in water-damaged buildings. These metabolites are carried

by spores, and can be detected in air samples at high spore

concentrations. Very little attention has been paid to major

metabolites of Stachybotrys called spirocyclic drimanes, and the precise

structures of the most abundant of these compounds are unknown. Species of

Aspergillus and Penicillium prevalent in the indoor environment produce

relatively low

concentrations of mycotoxins, with the exception of sterigmatocystins

that can represent up to 1% of the biomass of A. versicolor at aw’s

close to 1. The worst-case scenario for homeowners is produced by

consecutive episodes of water damage that promote fungal growth and

mycotoxin synthesis, followed by drier conditions that facilitate the

liberation of spores and hyphal fragments.

Author Keywords: Aspergillus versicolor; Penicillium; Spirocyclic drimanes;

Stachybotrys chartarum; Trichothecenes

Article Outline

1. Introduction

2. The building-associated mycobiota

3. Factors affecting growth on building materials

4. Significance of transient humidity conditions

5. Factors affecting mycotoxin production by indoor molds

6. Identification

7. Analytical methods

8. Sample collection

9. Mycotoxins produced by Stachybotrys

10. Mycotoxins produced by other indoor molds

10.1. Alternaria

10.2. Aspergillus flavus

10.3. Aspergillus fumigatus

10.4. Aspergillus niger

10.5. Aspergillus ochraceus

10.6. Aspergillus cf. ustus

10.7. Aspergillus versicolor

10.8. Chaetomium globosum

10.9. Memnoniella echinata

10.10. Penicillium brevicompactum

10.11. Penicillium chrysogenum

10.12. Penicillium expansum

10.13. Penicillium polonicum

10.14. Trichoderma

11. Human exposure

12. Conclusions

Acknowledgements

References

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