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Identification of mold on seasonal indoor coniferous trees
... One of these compounds was identified as colophonium shown to be able to sensitize allergic patient to induce dermatitis [164]. Another confounding and misleading factor could be mold spores contaminating the Christmas tree [165]. Mold spores such as Aspergillus or Cladosporium are well-known allergenic sources. ...
... One of these compounds was identified as colophonium shown to be able to sensitize allergic patient to induce dermatitis [164]. Another confounding and misleading factor could be mold spores contaminating the Christmas tree [165]. Mold spores such as Aspergillus or Cladosporium are well-known allergenic sources. ...
The conifers, from the latin meaning “cone carrier,” include about 650 species distributed in seven families. They are found all over the world, and the most known conifers are the cypresses, the junipers, the yews, the larches, the firs, or the pines. The most allergenic pollen is emitted by the Cupressaceae/Taxaceae family with mainly five different genera: Cupressus, Hesperocyparis, Juniperus, Cryptomeria, and Chamaecyparis. The symptomatic period starts in November and ends in April. In Mediterranean areas, Cupressus sempervirens is the most common pollinating species. Five main cypress allergens have been thoroughly described. Depending on the geographic area and the studied population, the prevalence of cypress allergy in the general population ranges from 0.6% to 3%, and 9–65% of outpatients consulting an allergist are sensitized to cypress pollen. This prevalence is increasing likely to be due to the modifications of the environment. Rhinitis is the most prevalent clinical symptom, while conjunctivitis is the most disabling. Clear-cut improvements of the quality of life are observed upon an effective and safe specific immunotherapy. Associations with food allergy based on molecular allergen cross-reactivities were described resulting in sometimes severe symptoms. Pollens from Pinaceae family, especially pines or firs, although abundant, do not demonstrate a significant clinical impact.
... To our knowledge, our study is the first to suggest an adverse significant relationship between living close to coniferous forests and respiratory health. It is not clear, however, if this result is due to something specific to conifers themselves, or potential differences in pollens, humidity, or mould spores (Kurlandsky et al., 2011). We note that most of our study participants were from Italy, and that no cohorts were examined from Nordic countries where coniferous forests are dominant. ...
Introduction:
Recent research focused on the interaction between land cover and the development of allergic and respiratory disease has provided conflicting results and the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. In particular, green space, which confers an overall positive impact on general health, may be significantly contributing to adverse respiratory health outcomes. This study evaluates associations between surrounding residential land cover (green, grey, agricultural and blue space), including type of forest cover (deciduous, coniferous and mixed), and childhood allergic and respiratory diseases.
Methods:
Data from 8063 children, aged 3-14 years, were obtained from nine European population-based studies participating in the HEALS project. Land-cover exposures within a 500 m buffer centred on each child's residential address were computed using data from the Coordination of Information on the Environment (CORINE) program. The associations of allergic and respiratory symptoms (wheeze, asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema) with land coverage were estimated for each study using logistic regression models, adjusted for sex, age, body mass index, maternal education, parental smoking, and parental history of allergy. Finally, the pooled effects across studies were estimated using meta-analyses.
Results:
In the pooled analyses, a 10% increase in green space coverage was significantly associated with a 5.9%-13.0% increase in the odds of wheezing, asthma, and allergic rhinitis, but not eczema. A trend of an inverse relationship between agricultural space and respiratory symptoms was observed, but did not reach statistical significance. In secondary analyses, children living in areas with surrounding coniferous forests had significantly greater odds of reporting wheezing, asthma and allergic rhinitis.
Conclusion:
Our results provide further evidence that exposure to green space is associated with increased respiratory disease in children. Additionally, our findings suggest that coniferous forests might be associated with wheezing, asthma and allergic rhinitis. Additional studies evaluating both the type of green space and its use in relation to respiratory conditions should be conducted in order to clarify the underlying mechanisms behind associated adverse impacts.
In studies worldwide, respiratory outcomes such as cough, wheeze and asthma have been consistently linked to mold exposure. Young children spend most of their time indoors and may be particularly vulnerable. We evaluated the associations between exposure to airborne fungal levels and episodes of wheezing in a cohort of 103 infants at risk for asthma (due to maternal history of asthma), living primarily in low-income urban settings. Using a new protocol that facilitates identification of rare and slow-growing fungi, we measured the type and concentration of cultured fungi in home air samples taken early in the infant's first year of life. We also inspected the homes for visible mold, water damage and other housing and environmental conditions. All homes had measurable indoor airborne fungi and 73%, had some sign of mold, water damage, dampness or a musty odor. One or more episodes of wheeze during the first year of life were observed in 38% of infants. Multiple logistic regression showed high indoor levels of Penicillium were a significant risk factor for wheeze (OR 6.18; 95% CI: 1.34-28.46) in the first year of life after controlling for season of sampling, smoking, endotoxin levels, day care attendance and confounders. Acrodontium, a rarely reported fungal genus, was detected in 18% of study homes, and was associated with wheeze in unadjusted models (OR 2.75; 95% CI 0.99-7.61), but not after adjustment for confounders. Total fungal levels, visually observed mold, dampness, water damage or musty odors were not significantly associated with wheeze.
Fungal infections are increasing, particularly among immunocompromised hosts, and a rapid diagnosis is essential to initiate
antifungal therapy. Often fungi cannot be identified by conventional methods and are classified as nonsporulating molds (NSM).We
sequenced internal transcribed spacer regions from 50 cultures of NSM and found 16 potential pathogens that can be associated
with clinical disease. In selected clinical settings, identification of NSM could prove valuable and have an immediate impact
on patient management.
A history of respiratory or other allergic symptoms during the Christmas season is occasionally obtained from allergic patients and can be related to exposure to conifers at home or in school. Incidence and mechanism of production of these symptoms were studied. Of 1657 allergic patients, respiratory and skin allergies to conifers occurred in 7%. This seasonal syndrome includes sneezing, wheezing and transitory skin rashes. The majority of patients develop their disease within 24 hours, but 15% experience symptoms after several days' delay. Mould and pollen studies were carried out in 10 test sites before, during and after tree placement in the home. Scrapings from pine and spruce bark yielded large numbers of Penicillium, Epicoccum and Alternaria, but these failed to become airborne. No significant alteration was discovered in the airborne fungi in houses when trees were present. Pollen studies showed release into air of weed, grass and tree pollens while Christmas trees were in the house. Oleoresins of the tree balsam are thought to be the most likely cause of the symptoms designated as Christmas tree allergy.
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Selected References
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van Dijke CP, Veerman FR, Haverkamp HC. Anaphylactic reactions to ketoconazole. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1983 Dec 3;287(6406):1673–1673. [PMC free article] [PubMed]
Advances in molecular technology show great potential for the rapid detection and identification of fungi for medical, scientific and commercial purposes. Numerous targets within the fungal genome have been evaluated, with much of the current work using sequence areas within the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) gene complex. This section of the genome includes the 18S, 5.8S and 28S genes which code for ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and which have a relatively conserved nucleotide sequence among fungi. It also includes the variable DNA sequence areas of the intervening internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions called ITS1 and ITS2. Although not translated into proteins, the ITS coding regions have a critical role in the development of functional rRNA, with sequence variations among species showing promise as signature regions for molecular assays. This review of the current literature was conducted to evaluate clinical approaches for using the fungal ITS regions as molecular targets. Multiple applications using the fungal ITS sequences are summarized here including those for culture identification, phylogenetic research, direct detection from clinical specimens or the environment, and molecular typing for epidemiological investigations. The breadth of applications shows that ITS regions have great potential as targets in molecular-based assays for the characterization and identification of fungi. Development of rapid and accurate amplification-based ITS assays to diagnose invasive fungal infections could potentially impact care and improve outcome for affected patients.