Facial eczema, a disease of sheep and, to a lesser extent, of cattle, has long been known in the North Island, New Zealand. The disease is contracted by grazing in pastures infected with the fungus Pithomyces chartarum (Commonwealth Mycological Institute Herbarium no. 74473). Synge & White (1959) isolated from cultures of this fungus a metabolic product which they named sporidesmin. Crystalline...

We developed a protocol for the rapid identification and quantitation of fungi by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in carpet. The fungi used in this study are field isolates of Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus versicolor, Cladosporium cladosporoides, and Stachybotrys chartarum. The modified spore extraction method provided superior quality, high-molecular-weight genomic ...

While there is a large variation of prevalence of asthma symptoms worldwide, what we do know is that it is on the rise in developing countries. However, there are few studies on allergens, moulds and mycotoxin exposure in schools in tropical countries. The aims were to measure selected fungal DNA, furry pet allergens and mycotoxins in dust samples from schools in Malaysia and to study associati...

ture in homes (frequent showers, new cooking methods, inadequate airing of bedrooms, etc.). From 1981 to 2000, the Scientific Institute of Public Health sampled more than 500 home environments of allergic and/or asthmatic patients in urban or rural areas throughout Belgium. Results showed that more than 150 fungal species, among them Cladosporium, Penicillium and Aspergillus, were collected in ...