|
A ubiquitous soil fungus. Most often
isolated from tropical and subtropical climates. Perfect
stage of Aspergillus nidulans. This fungus should be
considered allergenic. No toxic or invasive diseases
have been reported to date.
Emericella nidulas also referred to
as aspergillus nidulas is one of the several species
of the filamentous fungi of the phylum Ascomycota. Molds
have many negative health effects to human being and
in order to understand these health effects, you need
to have the basic understanding of how mycotoxins are
produced and the biology of fungi. Fungi that are found
within our environment have yeasts and microscopic molds
that really very harmful if they enter the body. Fungi
are often categorized according to their need for moisture.
For instance, there are certain fungi that require extremely
damp conditions that are close to saturation such as
the hydrophilic fungi in order for them to proliferate
whereas there is another category of fungi that can
grow in drier conditions such as the Xerophillic.
|
|
|
|
Most of the fungi that are found in
enclosed environment or indoors are saprotropic meaning
they get their nutrients that they need for metabolism
from dead and moist organic materials or some kind of
substrates such as paint, wood, paper, dust, skin scales,
soft furnishing and food. Toxigenic fungi are the type
of fungi that are known for producing toxins (mycotoxins)
and they are ubiquitous in the soil and air in the whole
world. Some of he well-documented and common types of
fungi species that are rampant in indoor environments
include the many species in the genera of Penicillium,
Aspergillus and Cladosporium. In addition, fungi that
are known to produce toxins (myotoxins) and are known
to be found in indoor environments include Fusarium,
Alternaria, Stachybotrys, Trichoderma, Acremonium, Chaetonium,
Myrothecium, and Paecilomices.
Fungi are well known in their production
of several toxins which when exposed to the body can
cause severe illness to a person. The toxic agents that
these fungi expose to the environment include the fungal
structural components as well as some of the secondary
products that they produce in their metabolism. The
first category of the substances that the fungi can
release into the environment and which are very harmful
includes antibodies, mycotoxins as well as volatile
organic compounds. Among the structural compounds that
these fungi have included cellular membrane components
like B-(13), it has been established that more than
200 mycotoxins are known to be produced by fungi.
One of the ways to get rid of molds
is to ensure that there is no damp place in your house.
In addition, you have to make sure that all the pipes
are well sealed and there is none that is leaking. You
should also look at the outdoor environment to make
sure that there is no area that can allow mold to form
because the negative health effects that these molds
can cause is devastating. It affects the respiratory
system causing one to nosebleed or may even cause the
lungs to bleed. They also have negative effects to the
skin and it can cause rashes in the skin as well as
pain, itching, welts and swelling. The effects of exposed
to moulds includes runny nose, sneezing, dermatitis,
sore throat, irritated eyes, bleeding in lungs, nausea
and chronic fatigue among others.
|
|
|