Hydrophilic fungi and ergosterol associated with respiratory illness in a water-damaged building

Environmental Health Perspectives
Ju-Hyeong ParkCarol Y Rao

Abstract

Damp building-related respiratory illnesses are an important public health issue. We compared three respiratory case groups defined by questionnaire responses [200 respiratory cases, 123 of the respiratory cases who met the epidemiologic asthma definition, and 49 of the epidemiologic asthma cases who had current physician-diagnosed asthma with post-occupancy onset] to a comparison group of 152 asymptomatic employees in an office building with a history of water damage. We analyzed dust samples collected from floors and chairs of 323 cases and comparisons for culturable fungi, ergosterol, endotoxin, and cat and dog allergens. We examined associations of total fungi, hydrophilic fungi (requiring water activity > or = 0.9), and ergosterol with the health outcomes using logistic regression models. In models adjusted for demographics, respiratory illnesses showed significant linear exposure-response relationships to total culturable fungi [interquartile range odds ratios (IQR-OR) = 1.37-1.72], hydrophilic fungi (IQR-OR = 1.45-2.19), and ergosterol (IQR-OR = 1.54-1.60) in floor and chair dusts. Of three outcomes analyzed, current asthma with postoccupancy physician diagnosis was most strongly associated with exposure to hydrophilic f...Continue Reading

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Citations

Mar 25, 2011·Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine·Denis CharpinFabien Squinazi
Sep 13, 2012·Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology·Sook Ja ChoJu-Hyeong Park
Aug 7, 2009·Journal of Environmental Monitoring : JEM·Joanne SordilloDonald Milton
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Jun 14, 2019·Indoor Air·Mark J Mendell, Rachel I Adams
Apr 11, 2020·Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene·Mukhtar Jaderson, Ju-Hyeong Park
Oct 21, 2017·Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene·Stephen VesperJu-Hyeong Park
Jun 28, 2020·Applied and Environmental Microbiology·Rachel I AdamsMark J Mendell
Aug 14, 2013·Occupational and Environmental Medicine·Kathleen Kreiss
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Jun 7, 2021·Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology·Rachael E RushBrett J Green

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

Software Mentioned

SAS
Plus

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