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Thursday, 07 October 2004 |
Identifying Mold  Thanks to Donald Smith <
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/>for providing this information.If you want to identify a colony of fungi (mold) you'll have to send it to a laboratory that specializes in mycological cultures. I've had a major problem with mold growing in the gaps of the "cardboard" siding on my home for several years. Some of it is black, and some of it is bright orange.
I sent some samples to the following laboratory:
Mycotech Biologicals
2484 F. M. 39 North
Jewett, Texas 75846
Telephone: 1-800-272-3716
1-903-626-6007
Each sample costs $35 for testing. I sent in two samples, one of the black mold and one of the orange mold, for a total cost of $70.
Fungi grow very slowly in the laboratory, so you'll have to wait at least a month for a report. Mine turned out to be Penicillium species (an aeroallergen) and Cladosporium species (an aeroallergen and an opportunistic pathogen).
You'll need to collect your samples before you treat them with Clorox or other fungicides. Once you treat the colonies with fungicide, they are worthless as laboratory cultures.
If you want to submit a culture, be sure to call the laboratory in advance. They will give you instructions on how to properly collect the molds using a plastic zip-loc baggie. The laboratory technicians will want to know where the sample came from, what it looked like "in situ", the diameter of the colony, and so on.
Good luck.
Don Smith
San Antonio, Texas
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