Fungi are essential components of ecosystems and widely distributed in nature. Fungal spores may be easily dispersed into indoor environments, and if conditions are suitable, some fungal spores may germinate and grow indoors. Mold, a common term for certain filamentous fungi, is fast growing and capable of producing hundreds of thousands of spores in a short period. Mold spores germinate and ra...

According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), 22.4% of Puerto Ricans suffer from asthma and that percentage increases to 25.3% in children between the ages of 5 and 14. In the case of allergic asthma, asthma, attacks are commonly caused by pollen and fungal spores in outdoor air. These particles can trigger a reaction in the immune system that controls how the body defends itself. This pap...

Fungal-related lung disease can be the result of direct lung infection (fungal pneumonia/"‘Farmers Lung") but by far the most common implication of fungal spores is the disease known as Recurrent Airway Obstruction (Chronic Obstructive Small Airway Disease/Small Airway Disease/Equine COPD). In this case the affected animal is believed to show a hypersensitivity response to certain species of fu...

Insect-killing fungi such as Beauveria bassiana are being evaluated as possible active ingredients for use in novel biopesticides against mosquito vectors that transmit malaria. Fungal pathogens infect through contact and so applications of spores to surfaces such as walls, nets, or other resting sites provide possible routes to infect mosquitoes in and around domestic dwellings. However, some ...

General Practitioner (Rtd.), Westbury-on-Trym When we speak, loosely, of the structures we call mushrooms and toadstools, we refer to the fruiting bodies of fungi. Fungi, unlike green plants which absorb carbon dioxide from the air, obtain their nutrients by breaking down the tissues of wood, leaves, roots or, occasionally, animals, either living or dead. Essentially, fungi consist of ramifying...

Three different techniques for reducing exposure to microorganisms were tested during remediation of moldy buildings. Concentrations of spores (fungi and actinomycetes) were determined by filter sampling before, during, and after remediation. The local exhaust method used for asbestos dismantling was the most effective control method. In the construction zone, concentrations of microorganisms w...

Studies of the concentration of fungal spores were carried out in the cities of Lublin and Rzeszów simultaneously in 2002. At both sites the volumetric method of measurement was applied, using the Lanzoni VPPS 2000 trap. Only the allergenic taxa were analysed: Alternaria, Botrytis, Cladosporium, Drechslera type, Epicoccum, Torula, Stemphylium, Pithomyces, Polythrincium, and Ganoderma. The resea...

Ribosomal subunits were prepared from fungal spore ribosomes and reassociated to yield biologically active ribosomes.

Fungal spores are known as one of the important bioparticles causing allergic manifestation in human beings. Hence, knowledge of season and prevalence of the airborne allergens to which the patients are exposed is a prerequisite for proper diagnosis and treatment of allergic disorders in hypersensitive individuals. Keeping this in view, aerial survey was performed in the atmosphere of Rohtak ci...