Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Aug;49(2):260-6.
doi: 10.1111/j.1472-765X.2009.02653.x. Epub 2009 May 27.

Indoor fungal contamination of moisture-damaged and allergic patient housing analysed using real-time PCR

A-P Bellanger  1 , G Reboux, S Roussel, F Grenouillet, E Didier-Scherer, J-C Dalphin, L Millon
Affiliations

Indoor fungal contamination of moisture-damaged and allergic patient housing analysed using real-time PCR

A-P Bellanger et al. Lett Appl Microbiol. 2009 Aug.

Abstract

Aims: The aim of our study was to compare, using real-time (Rt) PCR, quantitative levels of five fungal species in three kinds of dwellings.

Methods and results: Three groups of homes were recruited: moisture-damaged homes (MDH, n = 30), allergic patient homes (APH, n = 25) and paired control homes (CH, n = 55). Five moulds with allergenic compounds or mycotoxin production characteristics (Cladosporium sphaerospermum, Penicillium chrysogenum, Aspergillus versicolor, Alternaria alternata and Stachybotrys chartarum) were quantified using Rt-PCR. Cycle threshold results were expressed in spore equivalent per volume or surface unit using a direct calculation based on a spore standard curve. MDH presented significantly higher amounts of DNA from C. sphaerospermum in both air and surface samples than CH (P < 0.001). APH presented slightly elevated amounts of DNA from A. versicolor in both air and surface samples, compared to CH (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Rt-PCR quantification of targeted fungal species is a rapid, reliable tool that could be included in a global indoor mould evaluation.

Significance and impact of the study: Quantification of C. sphaerospermum using Rt-PCR can help to better target social service intervention in MDH. Quantification of A. versicolor DNA could be informative for characterization of APH.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types