Occurrence of Toxigenic Aspergillus versicolor Isolates and Sterigmatocystin in Carpet Dust from Damp Indoor Environments

ABSTRACT Over the past decade, there has been growing concern regarding the role of toxigenic fungi in damp indoor environments; however, there is still a lack of field investigations on exposure to mycotoxins. The goal of our pilot study was to quantify the proportion of toxigenic Aspergillus versicolor isolates in native carpet dust from damp dwellings with mold problems and to determine whether sterigmatocystin can be detected in this matrix. Carpet dust samples (n = 11) contained from <2.5 × 101 to 3.6 × 105 (median, 3.1 × 104) A. versicolor CFU/g of dust, and the median proportion of A. versicolor from total culturable fungi was 18%. Based on thin-layer chromatography detection of sterigmatocystin, 49 of 50 A. versicolor isolates (98%) were found to be toxigenic in vitro. By using high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry, sterigmatocystin could be detected in low concentrations (2 to 4 ng/g of dust) in 2 of 11 native carpet dust samples. From this preliminary study, we conclude that most strains of A. versicolor isolated from carpet dust are able to produce sterigmatocystin in vitro and that sterigmatocystin may occasionally occur in carpet dust from damp indoor environments. Further research and systematic field investigation are needed to confirm our results and to provide an understanding of the health implications of mycotoxins in indoor environments.

[1]  J. Frisvad,et al.  Simple screening method for molds producing intracellular mycotoxins in pure cultures , 1983, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[2]  P. Morey,et al.  Building-associated pulmonary disease from exposure to Stachybotrys chartarum and Aspergillus versicolor. , 1998, Journal of occupational and environmental medicine.

[3]  J. Portnoy,et al.  Infant pulmonary hemorrhage in a suburban home with water damage and mold (Stachybotrys atra). , 1999, Environmental health perspectives.

[4]  Kari Reijula,et al.  Mycotoxins in Crude Building Materials from Water-Damaged Buildings , 2000, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[5]  J D Spengler,et al.  Home dampness and respiratory morbidity in children. , 1989, The American review of respiratory disease.

[6]  B. Brunekreef,et al.  Damp housing and adult respiratory symptoms , 1992, Allergy.

[7]  Robert A. Samson,et al.  Health Implications of Fungi in Indoor Environments , 1994 .

[8]  A Nevalainen,et al.  Home dampness, moulds and their influence on respiratory infections and symptoms in adults in Finland. , 1996, The European respiratory journal.

[9]  F. Fung,et al.  Stachybotrys, a mycotoxin-producing fungus of increasing toxicologic importance. , 1998, Journal of toxicology. Clinical toxicology.

[10]  J. Langridge,et al.  Determination of aflatoxins in dust and urine by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. , 1995, Rapid communications in mass spectrometry : RCM.

[11]  S. Stewart-Brown,et al.  Damp housing and adult health: results from a lifestyle study in Worcester, England. , 1994, Journal of epidemiology and community health.

[12]  L J Swenson,et al.  Health effects of mycotoxins in indoor air: a critical review. , 2000, Applied occupational and environmental hygiene.

[13]  R. Orth.  Wachstum und Toxinbildung von Patulin- und Sterigmatocystin-bildenden Schimmelpilzen unter kontrollierter Atmosphäre , 1976 .

[14]  J. Josephs.  Detection and characterization of fumonisin mycotoxins by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization using ion trap and triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. , 1996, Rapid communications in mass spectrometry : RCM.

[15]  K. Reijula,et al.  Detection of polar and macrocyclic trichothecene mycotoxins from indoor environments. , 1998, The Analyst.

[16]  K. Jørgensen,et al.  Analysis of ochratoxin A in pig kidney and rye flour using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). , 1999, Food additives and contaminants.

[17]  S. Gravesen.  Bioaerosols, fungi and mycotoxins: Health effects, assessment, prevention and control , 1999 .

[18]  J. Startin,et al.  Analytical methods for the determination of sterigmatocystin in cheese, bread and corn products using HPLC with atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometric detection. , 1996, Food additives and contaminants.

[19]  D. Emanuel,et al.  Pulmonary mycotoxicosis. , 1975, Chest.

[20]  J. Frisvad,et al.  Analysis and screening for mycotoxins and other secondary metabolites in fungal cultures by thin-layer chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography , 1989, Archives of environmental contamination and toxicology.

[21]  P. Rayment,et al.  Indoor airborne fungal spores, house dampness and associations with environmental factors and respiratory health in children , 1998, Clinical and experimental allergy : journal of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

[22]  J. Frisvad,et al.  Penicillium and Aspergillus from Danish homes and working places with indoor air problems: identification and mycotoxin determination. , 1994 .

[23]  B. Lau,et al.  Quantitative determination of ochratoxin A by liquid chromatography/electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. , 2000, Journal of mass spectrometry : JMS.

[24]  Roemer,et al.  Home dampness and respiratory health status in European children , 1998, Clinical and experimental allergy : journal of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

[25]  B. Jarvis,et al.  Airborne outbreak of trichothecene toxicosis , 1986 .

[26]  P. Lepom,et al.  Production of sterigmatocystin by Aspergillus versicolor isolated from roughage , 2004, Mycopathologia.

[27]  R. Etzel,et al.  Acute pulmonary hemorrhage in infants associated with exposure to Stachybotrys atra and other fungi. , 1998, Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine.

[28]  Antonio Colombi,et al.  Biological Particles in Indoor Environments , 1993 .

[29]  G. Martin.  The Genus Aspergillus. , 1946, Science.

[30]  J. Peat,et al.  Effects of damp and mould in the home on respiratory health: a review of the literature , 1998, Allergy.

[31]  T. Müller,et al.  Species-specific profiles of mycotoxins produced in cultures and associated with conidia of airborne fungi derived from biowaste. , 2000, International journal of hygiene and environmental health.

[32]  S M Hunt,et al.  Damp housing, mould growth, and symptomatic health state. , 1989, BMJ.

[33]  E. Cole,et al.  A review of mycotoxins in indoor air. , 1993, Journal of toxicology and environmental health.

[34]  R. Burnett,et al.  Respiratory health effects of home dampness and molds among Canadian children. , 1991, American journal of epidemiology.

[35]  N. Di Paolo,et al.  Inhaled mycotoxins lead to acute renal failure. , 1994, Nephrology, dialysis, transplantation : official publication of the European Dialysis and Transplant Association - European Renal Association.

[36]  P. A. Nielsen,et al.  Production of mycotoxins on artificially and naturally infested building materials , 2004, Mycopathologia.

[37]  H. Wichmann,et al.  Indoor viable mold spores – a comparison between two cities, Erfurt (eastern Germany) and Hamburg (western Germany) , 2000, Allergy.

[38]  Richard J. Cole,et al.  Handbook of toxic fungal metabolites , 1981 .

[39]  K. Raper,et al.  The genus Aspergillus , 1966 .