Mold Testing and Bacteria Testing

Trusted Laboratories

Trusted Laboratories

Phone: (905)290-9101
Toll Free: 1-866-813-0648

Worried About Mold?

Click ** Get Your Free Assessment Now!**

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Services
    • Mold Testing
    • Bacteria Testing
    • Legionella Testing
    • Cannabis Testing
    • Antimicrobial effectiveness testing
    • Biological Indicators and Sterilization Process
    • Contract Microbiological Research
    • Environmental Monitoring & Bioburden Testing
    • Material Fungus Resistance Testing
    • Materials Standard Testing
    • Cannabis Licence
  • Accreditation
  • Mold Test Kits
  • View Courses
  • Freebies
    • Live Presentations
    • FREE Mold Inspection Quiz
    • FREE Mold Spore Identification Quiz
  • Resources
    • Chain of Custody Form
    • Ask a Question
    • How to Take Samples
    • Results Interpretation
    • Mold and Bacteria Pictures
    • Jobs
  • Contact us
You are here: Home / Mold / Presence of Chaetomium in an Indoor Environment: What Are The Implications?

Presence of Chaetomium in an Indoor Environment: What Are The Implications?

Dr Jackson Kung'u

Chaetomium is one of the most common moulds in water-damaged buildings.

 - Mold Testing and Bacteria Testing
Perithecium fruiting body of Chaetomium

Species of Chaetomium are strongly cellulolytic moulds commonly found in soil, on paper, straw, cloth, cotton and other cellulose-containing substrates. They have caused problems in libraries, archives, and the food industry. Because of their bio-deterioration ability, several strains are used in testing materials for mould growth resistance.

Concentrations of Chaetomium spores in the air: why are they usually low?

Spores (ascospores) of Chaetomium are produced within structures (asci) contained in a flask-shaped fruiting body known as perithecium. On spore maturity, the walls of the asci dissolve releasing mucilaginous spores within the perithecium. The spores ooze out of the perithecium (plural perithecia) and get trapped by coiled or dichotomously branched hairs that grow around the neck of the perithecium.

Since the spores are cemented together by mucilage and also trapped by hairs, few become airborne until the mould has completely dried out or disturbed, say during renovations or mould remediation. It is therefore not uncommon to find low Chaetomium spore counts in pre-remediation mould test samples and relatively higher counts in post-remediation samples.

Chaetomium as a health hazard, indoor air biocontaminant and biodeteriorator

Some species of Chaetomium have been implicated in nosocomial infection of patients in hospital environment after bone marrow transplantation (9). Many species are also known to produce mycotoxins (6, 8) and are recognized human allergens (2). The most common species in water-damaged buildings is Chaetomium globosum. In many cases it occurs together with Stachybotrys chartarum and other hydrophilic moulds. It produces high quantities of biomass (up to 10 mg/cm2) on building materials (3).

Ascospores of Chaetomium
Chaetomium Spores Ascospores

It has been isolated from wallpaper, drywall, baseboards, carpets and window frames. It is a major cause of biodeterioration of paper and other cellulose containing materials. As a health hazard, Chaetomium globosum produces very high quantities of mycotoxins, especially chaetoglobosins A and C when growing on gypsum board (4, 6). It is a known agent of skin and nail infections in humans and is more rarely a cause of cerebral and systemic infections in immunocompromised individuals (1, 7).

Although Chaetomium globosum is reported to have type I & III allergens (5) the spores are not easily aerosolized and hence exposure to airborne spores may be rather limited. However, exposure to cytotoxic mycotoxins and also fine hyphal fragments released from dried mycelia could be a major concern.

References

  1. Abbott, S. P., L. Sigler, R. McAleer, D. A. McGough, M. G. Rinaldi, and G. Mizell.1995. Fatal cerebral mycoses caused by the ascomycete Chaetomium strumarium. J. Clin. Microbiol. 33:2692-2698.
  2. Liebeskind, A. 1972. Mycological problems in occupational allergies. J. Asthma Res. 10:71–73.
  3. Nielsen, K.F, (2002), “Mould growth on building materials: Secondary metabolites, mycotoxins and biomarkers”, Dissertation, The Mycology Group, Technical University of Denmark.
  4. Nielsen, KF, Gravesen S, Nielsen PA, Andersen B, Thrane, Frisvad JC. 1999. Production of mycotoxins on artificially and naturally infested building materials. Mycopathologia 145:43-56.
  5. Pieckova, E. (2003). In vitro toxicity of indoor Chaetomium Kunze ex Fr. Ann. Agric. Environ. Med. 10(1):9-14.
  6. Sekita, S., K. Yoshihira, S. Natori, S. Udagawa, T. Muroi, Y. Sugiyama, H. Kurata, and M. Umeda. 1981. Mycotoxin production by Chaetomium spp. and related fungi. Can. J. Microbiol. 27:766–772.
  7. Serena, C. et al. (2003). In vitro activities of new antifungal agents against Chaetomium spp. and inoculum standardization. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 47(10):3161-3164.
  8. Udagawa, S., T. Muroi, H. Kurata, S. Sekita, K. Yoshihira, and S. Natori. 1979. The production of chaetoglobosins, sterigmatocystin, O-methylsterigmatocystin, and chaetocin by Chaetomium spp. and related fungi. Can. J. Microbiol. 25:170–177.
  9. Woods GL, Davis JC, Vasughan WP: Failure of the sterile airflow component of a protected environment detected by demonstration of Chaetomium species colonization of four consecutive immunosupressed occupants. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 1988, 9, 451-456.

author avatar
Dr Jackson Kung'u
Dr. Jackson Kung’u is a Microbiologist who has specialized in the field of mycology (the study of moulds and yeasts). He is a member of the Mycological Society of America. He graduated from the University of Kent at Canterbury, UK, with a Masters degree in Fungal Technology and a PhD in Microbiology. He has published several research papers in international scientific journals. Jackson has analyzed thousands of mould samples from across Canada. He also regularly teaches a course on how to recognize mould, perform effective sampling and interpret laboratory results. Jackson provides how-to advice on mould and bacteria issues. Get more information about indoor mould and bacteria at www.drjacksonkungu.com.
See Full Bio
social network icon social network icon

No related posts.

Filed Under: Mold Tagged With: Chaetomium, Environment, Indoor

How Much Do You Know About Mold?

Take a 3 minutes Quiz and find out how much you know about mold. To start the Quiz please Click START QUIZ below.

General Knowledge Mold Quiz

General knowledge mold quiz- Try it, it's fun!
Complete the form below to see results
Share your result via
Facebook X Pinterest LinkedIn Email

By the way, we have online mold courses at https://www.mytrainingcourses.ca

« 4 Types of Bacteria Commonly Found in Homes & Businesses
Legionella pneumophila: More than just a Legionnaire’s Disease »

Contact Us

Contact Us For More Information

Tell us about your concerns or questions regarding mold, bacteria, or indoor air quality. Whether you need expert advice, testing services, or remediation solutions, we’re here to help. Ask away—we’ll get back to you promptly!

Name(Required)
Email(Required)
Please send me more information as per my message below...

Learn With Us…

Courses

  • Mold Inspection, Identification and Control
  • Fungal Spore Identification
  • Mold Inspection Business Course
  • How to take Mold Samples Course
  • Coliform Testing
  • WHMIS
  • INTERESTING KNOWLEDGE QUIZES

Get In Touch

By phone or by email
905-290-9101
Email

Our Location
1020 Brevik Place, Unit 1A • Mississauga, ON L4W 4N7
(Phone: 905-290-9101 • toll-free: 1-866-813-0648 • fax: 905-290-0499.)

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Search this Site

Recent Posts

  • Is E. coli Airborne? Separating Facts from Myths in Bacterial Sampling
  • Is “Black Mold” Equivalent to “Toxic Mold”?
  • Exploring Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM): Understanding Characteristics and Implications

Useful Links

  • Chain of Custody Download
  • Contact us
  • Privacy policy

Copyright © 2025 · Mold & Bacteria Consulting Laboratories. Log in