Mold Testing and Bacteria Testing

Trusted Laboratories

Trusted Laboratories
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • Services
    • Cannabis Testing
    • Mold Testing
    • Bacteria Testing
    • Legionella Testing
  • Specialized Tests
    • 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
  • View Store
  • View Courses
  • Freebies
    • FREE 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 / The Mould Fusarium: How Does It Affect Our Lives?

The Mould Fusarium: How Does It Affect Our Lives?

Fusarium species affect our lives in several areas.

In agriculture Fusarium is known to cause diseases of many economically important crop plants. Some species are known to colonize stored cereal grains not only causing losses but also producing mycotoxins such as trichothecenes, zearalenone, and fumonisins that are harmful to humans and animals(1, 3).

In the medical field, the species cause opportunistic infections of human eyes, skin or nails and may also cause systemic infections in individuals with weak immune system. The most important species as far as human infection is concerned are Fusarium solani, F. moniliforme (=Fusarium verticilloides), F. oxysporum and F. dimerum (1, 3). Fusarium solani is also allergenic and is occasionally found in indoor environments. It affects 4% of nasobronchial allergy patients (4).

Fusarium growing on agar media - Mold Testing and Bacteria Testing
Fusarium growing on agar media

Some of the infections attributed to some species of Fusarium are:

  • Fusarium keratitis
  • Onychomycosis (nail infection)
  • Certain skin infections
  • Fusarium osteomyelitis (bone and joint infections)
  • Pneumonia

In the industrial environment, Fusarium species are known to contaminate industrial products such as pharmaceutical solutions or machine cooling fluids. Fusarium keratitis has been in the news as the cause of severe fungal eye infections through contamination of contact lens solution.

Sampling for Airborne Spores of Fusarium Species

Fusarium species do not grow well at low water activity levels and will usually colonize very damp or wet material, hence, presence of Fusarium in a building is an indication of a water problem. Fusarium may produce three types of spores: namely, macroconidia, microconidia, and chlamydospores (3).

The macro and microconidia are the most likely to become airborne, but since they are produced in wet form they do not easily become aerosolized unless the mould is completely dry. Indoor airborne spore counts for Fusarium are therefore rarely high. A few spores of this fungus indoors could be an indication of serious mould growth.

Airborne microconidia and chlamydospores are difficult to identify and for air samples analysed by direct microscopy, only the macroconidia of some species may be reported. It is therefore possible that Fusariumspores (especially the microconidia) are usually lumped together with other unidentified spores.

Fusarium spores - Mold Testing and Bacteria Testing
Fusarium spores

For viable samples it is important to note that desiccation affects viability of Fusarium spores and therefore a few colony forming units (CFUs) would also be an indication of a problem.

According to Health Canada, persistent presence of significant numbers of Fusarium species and other toxigenic moulds such as Stachybotrys chartarum, Aspergillus and Penicillium requires further investigation (2).

DID YOU ENJOY this article? Share it with friends and associates on facebook or twitter.

References

  1. Guarro, J., and J. Gene. 1992. Fusarium infections. Criteria for the identification of the responsible species. Mycoses 35:109-114
  2. Health Canada (1995). Indoor Air Quality in Office Buildings: A Technical Guide. A Report of the Federal-Provincial Advisory Committee on Environmental and Occupational Health.
  3. Nelson, P.E., Dignani, C.M., and Anaissie, E.J (1994). Taxonomy, Biology, and Clinical Aspects of Fusarium Species. Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 7(4): 479-504.
  4. Verma J, Sridhara S, Singh BP, Pasha S, Gangal SV, Arora N. (2001). Fusarium solani major allergen peptide IV-1 binds IgE but does not release histamine. Clin. Exp Allergy, 31(6):920-927.

The following two tabs change content below.
  • Bio
  • Latest Posts
My Twitter profileMy Facebook profileMy LinkedIn profile

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.
My Twitter profileMy Facebook profileMy LinkedIn profile

Latest posts by Dr Jackson Kung'u (see all)

  • Sick And Tired Of Peziza domiciliana (Domicile cup fungus)? - October 16, 2022
  • Indoor Mold Short Video - May 18, 2022
  • Airborne Fungal Spores Counting and Analysis - April 22, 2022

No related posts.

Filed Under: Mold Tagged With: fumonisins, Fusarium, fusarium infection, fusarium mold, fusarium oxysporum, fusarium solani, trichothecenes, zearalenone

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 Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn Email

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

« Bacteria in Water: Coliforms, Iron and Sulfur Bacteria
4 Types of Bacteria Commonly Found in Homes & Businesses »

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.)

Recent Posts

  • Sick And Tired Of Peziza domiciliana (Domicile cup fungus)?
  • Indoor Mold Short Video
  • Airborne Fungal Spores Counting and Analysis

Useful Links

  • Chain of Custody Download
  • Contact us
  • Privacy policy

Copyright © 2023 · Mold & Bacteria Consulting Laboratories · Log in