Nexus - 1304 - New Times Magazine-pages

Page Content (OCR)

102 the USA, with an overall incidence of about 5.4% among all age — epidemiologic criteria for causality.'” Acute infant pulmonary groups and incidences as high as 27% in inner-city children. * haemorrhage can be rapidly fatal; when the infant survives, lung Studies with infants have reported that higher fungal exposures blood vessel damage is present and deposits of haemosiderin will are associated with more wheezing, coughing and respiratory remain in the lung macrophages and can be seen in tissue illness.*” Higher indoor beta glucan levels have been associated obtained during bronchoscopy.” with significantly higher levels of chest tightness and joint pain.” Stachybotrys fungi produce a wide range of trichothecene Non-industrial occupational mould exposure has been reported to mycotoxins (including satratoxins), several roridin epimers, be associated with significantly higher levels of asthma, sinusitis, verrucarin J and B and haemolysin.*” A haemorrhagic protein irritated skin and eyes, and chronic fatigue.” called stachylysin has been isolated from Stachybotrys collected One study found that patients exposed to high indoor fungus from homes of infants with lung haemorrhage '*'™ and from levels had significantly lower lung function than unexposed serum of patients with residential Stachybotrys exposure.” It is controls.“ Higher outdoor fungal concentrations have been linked hypothesised that infants, with their rapidly growing lungs, are to higher asthma death rates” and high asthma incidence™” in more susceptible to the toxic effects of Stachybotrys children or young adults. Challenge mycotoxins.' Studies with exposures with Penicillium and Stachybotrys-exposed adults have Alternaria extracts equivalent to high noted a significantly higher incidence outdoor levels of fungus were noted to of health problems such as lower lower lung function severely in airway problems, wheezing, skin and asthmatics.*° Skin sensitivity to Fungal exposure eye irritation, flu-like symptoms and Alternaria has been linked to much . . chronic fatigue.’ Stachybotrys has higher risk of respiratory arrest. *' can alter immunological been isolated from the lungs of a child Various epidemiological studies have parameters. with pulmonary haemosiderosis.'” linked skin sensitivity to common indoor fungi and higher asthma Immunological Changes incidence or severity *** and higher Fungal exposure can _ alter rates of sinusitis.*’ immunological parameters. Some Airborne fungal exposure causes studies have reported that indoor- sinusitis, bronchopulmonary fungus-exposed patients have higher aspergillosis and hypersensitivity pneumonitis. An estimated serum levels of IgG, IgA and IgM antibodies to common fungi, 14% of the US population suffers from rhinosinusitis and related trichothecenes and satratoxins. '"'"" IgG antibodies to nine conditions.” common indoor fungi were significantly higher in subjects with Allergic fungal sinusitis was diagnosed on the basis of fungal sinusitis, versus non-sinusitis subjects in a mouldy school.'" growth in nasal secretions and the presence of allergic mucin in Other studies note no significant increases in fungal IgG'*"'" or 93% of 101 consecutive patients undergoing sinus surgery.” — fungal IgE108 in fungus-exposed patients. Another study was able to recover and culture fungi from the Indoor fungal exposure has been associated with altered levels sinuses of 56% of 45 patients undergoing endoscopic sinus of T4, T8 and NK cells and higher levels of auto-antibodies.* '*''* surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis.”’ A long-term cohort study of | Indoor glucan exposure has been associated with a lower 639 patients with allergic fungal sinusitis demonstrated that proportion of cytotoxic T cells (CD8+SF61+) and with secretion remedial steps taken to reduce fungal exposure (by utilising, for | of tumour necrosis factor higher than from homes with lower example, air filters, ionisers, moisture control systems and levels of beta-glucans.'"* antimicrobial nasal sprays) significantly reduced rhinosinusitis and improved nasal mucosa morphology. This study concluded that failure to reduce airborne fungus levels to less than four per hour on a settle plate failed to resolve the sinusiti Although, historically, antifungal drugs have generally not been recommended for treatment of fungal sinusitis,“ recent stud- ies have found beneficial effects of oral and nasal medication for sinusitis patients.” Several studies have linked residential exposure to fungi with hypersensitivity pneumonitis.***> Stachybotrys and Haemorrhagic : _— Effects _ Exposure to high indoor levels of Stachybotrys, Aspergillus and other fungi has been epidemiologically associated with The figure above illustrates some fungi of medical importance. A: Microsporum, causative agent of infant lung haemorrhage.**'® Although ringworm and other skin diseases. B: Blastomyces dermatidis, causative agent of North American questions were raised after this association blastomycosis. C: Histoplasma capsulatum, causative agent of histoplasmosis. (Source: http://www.botany.utoronto.ca/ResearchLabs/MallochLab/Malloch/Moulds/Source.html) was discovered,’ it meets many Fungal exposure can alter immunological ae ae ae parameters. JUNE — JULY 2006 NEXUS * 21 www.nexusmagazine.com