Molds and Respiratory Allergy - Part 1

A mold is a fungus that grows in the form of multicellular filaments called hyphae. Molds are also called filamentous fungi that can be found both indoors and outdoors [1]. Molds breed best in warm, wet, and humid conditions, and they multiply and reproduce by making spores. No one knows how many species of fungi exist in nature, but estimates range from tens of thousands to perhaps a million or more [2]. The genera of molds that cause allergy and allergy-related problems most often are Alternaria alternate, Cladosporium herbarum, Aspergillus fumigatus and Penicillium [3,4]. The most frequently involved genera in children are Cladosporium species in northern Europe and Alternaria species in the Mediterranean region and North America [5].