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Prehospital and Disaster Medicine Dec 2017Indoor mold levels typically increase after natural disasters, flooding, and water damage. Eurotium herbariorum is the sexual stage of Aspergillus glaucus. Case...
BACKGROUND
Indoor mold levels typically increase after natural disasters, flooding, and water damage. Eurotium herbariorum is the sexual stage of Aspergillus glaucus. Case Presentation A 66-year-old, Japanese male, ex-smoker had been diagnosed with bronchial asthma when he was five years old; he achieved remission at the age of 13 years. He was displaced from his home during the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011 and moved to temporary housing in Miyagi Prefecture in June 2011. He experienced the first episode of chest tightness, coughing, and wheezing in February 2012, when he again was diagnosed as having bronchial asthma. Mycofloral surveillance detected high counts of Eurotium in the air of his bedroom, kitchen, and living room, with a maximal fungal count of 163,200 colony-forming units per cubic meter (CFU/m3). Although Cladosporium and Penicillium typically predominate in the indoor air of residential dwellings, only low levels of these organisms were present in the patient's home. Morphologic identification confirmed the isolates as E. herbariorum. The patient had positive reactions to E. herbariorum in skin prick testing and the presence of antigen-specific precipitating antibodies to E. herbariorum. Computed tomography of the chest in August 2013 revealed central bronchiectasis and bronchial wall thickening. The patient experienced late reactions after provocation testing with E. herbariorum.
CONCLUSION
This report presents the rare case of a patient who developed allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis (ABPM) due to exposure to E. herbariorum during temporary housing after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Oshikata C , Watanabe M , Saito A , Ishida M , Kobayashi S , Konuma R , Kamata Y , Terajima J , Cho J , Yanai M , Tsurikisawa N . Allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis due to exposure to eurotium herbariorum after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(6):688-690.
Topics: Aged; Asthma; Diagnosis, Differential; Earthquakes; Eurotium; Humans; Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis; Japan; Male; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
PubMed: 28807087
DOI: 10.1017/S1049023X17006914 -
Yakugaku Zasshi : Journal of the... 2022To understand fungal contamination in the indoor environments of the disaster region, surveys were conducted to detect mycoflora in temporary shelters, prefabricated...
To understand fungal contamination in the indoor environments of the disaster region, surveys were conducted to detect mycoflora in temporary shelters, prefabricated temporary housing, private housing, and rented apartments in areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. The results from the surveys of temporary shelters indicated that the indoor-air fungal counts at all sampling points were less than 1000 colony forming units (cfu)/m, which is the recommended limit for fungal contamination in indoor air. However, the Aspergillus counts were high compared to the indoor environments of typical housing. Since Aspergillus is a known allergenic genus, careful attention should be paid to residents' health. The results of the surveys of private housing and rented apartments also indicated that fungal counts were highest during the rainy season throughout the summer. In contrast, temporary housing had a maximum fungal count in the winter. The extremely high level of fungal condensation in indoor air may have been due to the high relative humidity and loss of heat insulation in the buildings' attics. It is thought that these problems happen most commonly in colder regions, such as the entire area affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. The case of a patient with allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis caused by a large amount of Eurotium herbariorum mold in his temporary housing was reported to demonstrate the health risks posed by fungi in this disaster region.
Topics: Air Pollution, Indoor; Aspergillus; Cold Temperature; Colony Count, Microbial; Earthquakes; Floods; Fungi; Housing; Humidity; Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis; Japan; Risk; Seasons
PubMed: 34980747
DOI: 10.1248/yakushi.21-00161-2 -
[Inhibition of aflatoxin production and fungal growth on stored corn by allyl isothiocyanate vapor].Shokuhin Eiseigaku Zasshi. Journal of... 2015Studies were conducted to determine the effectiveness of allyl isothiocyanate (AIT) vapor treatment with a commercial mustard seed extract (Wasaouro(®)) in controlling...
Studies were conducted to determine the effectiveness of allyl isothiocyanate (AIT) vapor treatment with a commercial mustard seed extract (Wasaouro(®)) in controlling aflatoxin-producing fungi on stored corn. The concentration of AIT in the closed container peaked at 54.6 ng/mL on the 14th day and remained at 21.8 ng/mL on the 42nd day. AIT inhibited visible growth of aflatoxigenic molds in unsterilized corn and in sterilized corn inoculated with various aflatoxigenic fungi. However, fungi such as Aspergillus glaucus group, A. penicillioides and A. restrictus were detected by means of culture methods.
Topics: Aflatoxins; Aspergillus; Depression, Chemical; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Food Microbiology; Food Storage; Fungi; Isothiocyanates; Penicillium; Time Factors; Volatilization; Zea mays
PubMed: 25748979
DOI: 10.3358/shokueishi.56.1