Mold Allergy Questions & Answers

1. Antova T, Pattenden S, Brunekreef B, et al. Exposure to indoor mould and children's respiratory health in the PATY study. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2008 Aug. 62(8):708-14. [Medline].

2. Karvala K, Nordman H, Luukkonen R, et al. Occupational rhinitis in damp and moldy workplaces. Am J Rhinol. 2008 Sep-Oct. 22(5):457-62. [Medline].

3. Soeria-Atmadja D, Onell A, Borga A. IgE sensitization to fungi mirrors fungal phylogenetic systematics. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2010 Jun. 125(6):1379-1386.e1. [Medline].

4. Holme J, Hagerhed-Engman L, Mattsson J, Sundell J, Bornehag CG. Culturable mold in indoor air and its association with moisture-related problems and asthma and allergy among Swedish children. Indoor Air. 2010 Aug. 20(4):329-40. [Medline].

5. Deger L, Plante C, Goudreau S, et al. Home environmental factors associated with poor asthma control in Montreal children: a population-based study. J Asthma. 2010 Jun. 47(5):513-20. [Medline].

6. Fairs A, Agbetile J, Hargadon B, Bourne M, Monteiro WR, Brightling CE, et al. IgE sensitization to Aspergillus fumigatus is associated with reduced lung function in asthma. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2010 Dec 1. 182(11):1362-8. [Medline].

7. Vesper S, McKinstry C, Haugland R, et al. Development of an Environmental Relative Moldiness index for US homes. J Occup Environ Med. 2007 Aug. 49(8):829-33. [Medline].

8. Crameri R, Zeller S, Glaser AG, Vilhelmsson M, Rhyner C. Cross-reactivity among fungal allergens: a clinically relevant phenomenon?. Mycoses. 2009 Mar. 52(2):99-106. [Medline].

9. Kawashima S, Hirose K, Iwata A, et al. ß-Glucan Curdlan Induces IL-10-Producing CD4+ T Cells and Inhibits Allergic Airway Inflammation. J Immunol. 2012 Dec 15. 189(12):5713-21. [Medline].

10. Huang SW, Kimbrough JW. Mold allergy is a risk factor for persistent cold-like symptoms in children. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 1997 Dec. 36(12):695-9. [Medline].

11. Manning SC, Vuitch F, Weinberg AG, Brown OE. Allergic aspergillosis: a newly recognized form of sinusitis in the pediatric population. Laryngoscope. 1989 Jul. 99(7 Pt 1):681-5. [Medline].

12. Gondor M, Michaels MG, Finder JD. Non-aspergillus allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis in a pediatric patient with cystic fibrosis. Pediatrics. 1998 Dec. 102 (6):1480-2. [Medline].

13. Cecchi L, D'Amato G, Ayres JG, Galan C, Forastiere F, Forsberg B, et al. Projections of the effects of climate change on allergic asthma: the contribution of aerobiology. Allergy. 2010 Sep. 65(9):1073-81. [Medline]. [Full Text].

14. Hamilos DL. Allergic fungal rhinitis and rhinosinusitis. Proc Am Thorac Soc. 2010 May. 7(3):245-52. [Medline].

15. Huang SW, Kimbrough JW. Effect of air cleaner on mold counts in the air and on symptoms of perennial allergic rhinitis. Pediatr Asthma, Allergy & Immunol. 1995. 9:205-11.

16. Gots RE, Layton NJ, Pirages SW. Indoor health: background levels of fungi. AIHA J (Fairfax, Va). 2003 Jul-Aug. 64(4):427-38. [Medline].

17. Shah A, Kala J, Sahay S, Panjabi C. Frequency of familial occurrence in 164 patients with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2008 Oct. 101(4):363-9. [Medline].

18. Matsuno O, Ueno T, Takenaka R, et al. Acute eosinophilic pneumonia caused by Candida albicans. Respir Med. 2007 Jul. 101(7):1609-12. [Medline].

19. Kopp T, Mastan P, Mothes N, Tzaneva S, Stingl G, Tanew A. Systemic allergic contact dermatitis due to consumption of raw shiitake mushroom. Clin Exp Dermatol. 2009 Dec. 34(8):e910-3. [Medline].

20. Ampere A, Delhaes L, Soots J, Bart F, Wallaert B. Hypersensitivity pneumonitis induced by Shiitake mushroom spores. Med Mycol. 2012 Aug. 50(6):654-7. [Medline].

21. [Guideline] NAEPP. National Asthma Education and Prevention Program. Expert Panel Report 2: Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma. NIH Publication No. 97-4051. Available at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/asthma/asthgdln.pdf.

22. Asturias JA, Ibarrola I, Ferrer A, et al. Diagnosis of Alternaria alternata sensitization with natural and recombinant Alt a 1 allergens. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2005 Jun. 115(6):1210-7. [Medline].

23. Klote M. Hypersensitive pneumonitis. Allergy and Asthma Proc. 2005. 26:493-5.

24. Stark PC, Celedon JC, Chew GL, et al. Fungal levels in the home and allergic rhinitis by 5 years of age. Environ Health Perspect. 2005 Oct. 113(10):1405-9. [Medline].

25. Reponen T, Vesper S, Levin L, et al. High environmental relative moldiness index during infancy as a predictor of asthma at 7 years of age. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2011 Aug. 107(2):120-6. [Medline].

26. van der Ent CK, Hoekstra H, Rijkers GT. Successful treatment of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis with recombinant anti-IgE antibody. Thorax. 2007 Mar. 62(3):276-7. [Medline].

27. Elmallah MK, Hendeles L, Hamilton RG, Capen C, Schuler PM. Management of patients with cystic fibrosis and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis using anti-immunoglobulin e therapy (omalizumab). J Pediatr Pharmacol Ther. 2012 Jan. 17(1):88-92. [Medline]. [Full Text].

28. Hall AG, deShazo RD. Immunotherapy for allergic fungal sinusitis. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 2012 Dec. 12(6):629-34. [Medline].

29. Pozzan M, Milani M. Efficacy of sublingual specific immunotherapy in patients with respiratory allergy to Alternaria alternata: a randomised, assessor-blinded, patient-reported outcome, controlled 3-year trial. Curr Med Res Opin. 2010 Dec. 26(12):2801-6. [Medline].

30. Fluticasone at different doses for chronic asthma in adults and children. [Best Evidence]. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008 Oct 8. (4):CD003534.

31. Ricketti AJ, Greenberger PA, Patterson R. Serum IgE as an important aid in management of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1984 Jul. 74(1):68-71. [Medline].

32. Greenberger PA. Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. Middleton E, Reed CE, Ellis EF, et al. Allergy: Principles and Practice. 4th ed. Mosby-Year Book; 1998. 981-93.

33. Barnes C, Tuck J, Simon S, Pacheco F, Hu F, Portnoy J. Allergenic materials in the house dust of allergy clinic patients. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2001 May. 86(5):517-23. [Medline].

34. Buckland KF, O'Connor E, Murray LA, Hogaboam CM. Toll like receptor-2 modulates both innate and adaptive immune responses during chronic fungal asthma in mice. Inflamm Res. 2008 Aug. 57(8):379-87. [Medline].

35. Bush RK, Portnoy JM, Saxon A, Terr AI, Wood RA. The medical effects of mold exposure. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2006 Feb. 117(2):326-33. [Medline].

36. Committee on Environmental Health. Spectrum of noninfectious health effects from molds. www.pediatrics.org. Available at http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/118/6/2582.full. Accessed: December, 2006.

37. Denning DW, O'Driscoll BR, Powell G, et al. Randomized controlled trial of oral antifungal treatment for severe asthma with fungal sensitization: The Fungal Asthma Sensitization Trial (FAST) study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2009 Jan 1. 179(1):11-8. [Medline].

38. Edmondson DA, Nordness ME, Zacharisen MC, Kurup VP, Fink JN. Allergy and "toxic mold syndrome". Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2005 Feb. 94(2):234-9. [Medline].

39. Gruchalla RS, Pongracic J, Plaut M, et al. Inner City Asthma Study: relationships among sensitivity, allergen exposure, and asthma morbidity. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2005 Mar. 115(3):478-85. [Medline].

40. Hoselton SA, Samarasinghe AE, Seydel JM, Schuh JM. An inhalation model of airway allergic response to inhalation of environmental Aspergillus fumigatus conidia in sensitized BALB/c mice. Med Mycol. 2010 Dec. 48(8):1056-65. [Medline]. [Full Text].

41. Jaakkola JJ, Hwang BF, Jaakkola N. Home dampness and molds, parental atopy, and asthma in childhood: a six-year population-based cohort study. Environ Health Perspect. 2005 Mar. 113(3):357-61. [Medline].

42. Knutsen AP. When to suspect allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. J Respir Dis. March 2006. 27:123-34.

43. Knutsen AP, Vijay HM, Kumar V, et al. Mold-sensitivity in children with moderate-severe asthma is associated with HLA-DR and HLA-DQ. Allergy. 2010 Nov. 65(11):1367-75. [Medline].

44. Meklin T, Potus T, Pekkanen J, Hyvarinen A, Hirvonen MR, Nevalainen A. Effects of moisture-damage repairs on microbial exposure and symptoms in schoolchildren. Indoor Air. 2005. 15 Suppl 10:40-7. [Medline].

45. Myatt TA, Minegishi T, Allen JG, Macintosh DL. Control of asthma triggers in indoor air with air cleaners: a modeling analysis. Environ Health. 2008 Aug 6. 7:43. [Medline].

46. Selman M, Lacasse Y, Pardo A, Cormier Y. Hypersensitivity pneumonitis caused by fungi. Proc Am Thorac Soc. 2010 May. 7(3):229-36. [Medline].

47. Wiszniewska M, Swierczynska-Machura D, Cezary P, Walusiak-Skorupa J. [Fungal allergy among art conservators: prevalence, risk factors and clinical symptoms]. Med Pr. 2010. 61(2):133-41. [Medline].

Shih-Wen Huang, MD Professor Emeritus of Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergy, Department of Pediatrics, University of Florida College of Medicine

Shih-Wen Huang, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association of Immunologists, American Diabetes Association, American Pediatric Society, Clinical Immunology Society, Florida Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Society, Florida Medical Association, Society for Pediatric Research, Southern Society for Pediatric Research

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Mary L Windle, PharmD Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

David J Valacer, MD 

David J Valacer, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Thoracic Society, New York Academy of Sciences

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Harumi Jyonouchi, MD Faculty, Division of Allergy/Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Saint Peter's University Hospital

Harumi Jyonouchi, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association of Immunologists, American Medical Association, Clinical Immunology Society, New York Academy of Sciences, Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine, Society for Pediatric Research, Society for Mucosal Immunology

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

C Lucy Park, MD Chief, Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine

C Lucy Park, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology, Chicago Medical Society, American Medical Association, Clinical Immunology Society, Illinois State Medical Society

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

• Print this section
• Print the entire contents of
• Print the entire contents of article