This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Brasel, T. L.
Right arrow Articles by Straus, D. C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Brasel, T. L.
Right arrow Articles by Straus, D. C.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Brasel, T. L.
Right arrow Articles by Straus, D. C.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, November 2005, p. 7376-7388, Vol. 71, No. 11
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.11.7376-7388.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Detection of Airborne Stachybotrys chartarum Macrocyclic Trichothecene Mycotoxins in the Indoor Environment

T. L. Brasel, J. M. Martin, C. G. Carriker, S. C. Wilson, and D. C. Straus*

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas 79430

Received 9 March 2005/ Accepted 12 July 2005

The existence of airborne mycotoxins in mold-contaminated buildings has long been hypothesized to be a potential occupant health risk. However, little work has been done to demonstrate the presence of these compounds in such environments. The presence of airborne macrocyclic trichothecene mycotoxins in indoor environments with known Stachybotrys chartarum contamination was therefore investigated. In seven buildings, air was collected using a high-volume liquid impaction bioaerosol sampler (SpinCon PAS 450-10) under static or disturbed conditions. An additional building was sampled using an Andersen GPS-1 PUF sampler modified to separate and collect particulates smaller than conidia. Four control buildings (i.e., no detectable S. chartarum growth or history of water damage) and outdoor air were also tested. Samples were analyzed using a macrocyclic trichothecene-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). ELISA specificity was tested using phosphate-buffered saline extracts of the fungal genera Aspergillus, Chaetomium, Cladosporium, Fusarium, Memnoniella, Penicillium, Rhizopus, and Trichoderma, five Stachybotrys strains, and the indoor air allergens Can f 1, Der p 1, and Fel d 1. For test buildings, the results showed that detectable toxin concentrations increased with the sampling time and short periods of air disturbance. Trichothecene values ranged from <10 to >1,300 pg/m3 of sampled air. The control environments demonstrated statistically significantly (P < 0.001) lower levels of airborne trichothecenes. ELISA specificity experiments demonstrated a high specificity for the trichothecene-producing strain of S. chartarum. Our data indicate that airborne macrocyclic trichothecenes can exist in Stachybotrys-contaminated buildings, and this should be taken into consideration in future indoor air quality investigations.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, TTUHSC, 3601 4th St., Lubbock, TX 79430. Phone: (806) 743-2523. Fax: (806) 743-2334. E-mail: david.straus{at}ttuhsc.edu.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, November 2005, p. 7376-7388, Vol. 71, No. 11
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.11.7376-7388.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Straus, D. C (2009). Molds, mycotoxins, and sick building syndrome. Toxicol Ind Health 25: 617-635 [Abstract]  
  • Thrasher, J. D, Crawley, S. (2009). The biocontaminants and complexity of damp indoor spaces: more than what meets the eyes. Toxicol Ind Health 25: 583-615 [Abstract]  
  • Coppock, R. W, Jacobsen, B. J (2009). Mycotoxins in animal and human patients. Toxicol Ind Health 25: 637-655 [Abstract]  
  • Layton, R. C, Purdy, C. W, Jumper, C. A, Straus, D. C (2009). Detection of macrocyclic trichothecene mycotoxin in a caprine (goat) tracheal instillation model. Toxicol Ind Health 25: 693-701 [Abstract]  
  • Kankkunen, P., Rintahaka, J., Aalto, A., Leino, M., Majuri, M.-L., Alenius, H., Wolff, H., Matikainen, S. (2009). Trichothecene Mycotoxins Activate Inflammatory Response in Human Macrophages. J. Immunol. 182: 6418-6425 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Pestka, J. J., Yike, I., Dearborn, D. G., Ward, M. D. W., Harkema, J. R. (2008). Stachybotrys chartarum, Trichothecene Mycotoxins, and Damp Building-Related Illness: New Insights into a Public Health Enigma. Toxicol Sci 104: 4-26 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Bloom, E., Bal, K., Nyman, E., Must, A., Larsson, L. (2007). Mass Spectrometry-Based Strategy for Direct Detection and Quantification of Some Mycotoxins Produced by Stachybotrys and Aspergillus spp. in Indoor Environments. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 4211-4217 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»