Good Morning,

This week's photo is of a human eyelash with an unidentified fungus, which has caused a superficial mycoses, from the www.astrographics.com website.

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Problems With Epidemiological Data

Even though data on the prevalence of occupational rhinitis are limited, it has been reported to be high, ranging from 5% to 65%. At least in part, discrepancies between data on the prevalence of occupational allergy can be accounted for by differences in diagnostic criteria and techniques. For instance, there is no general agreement on the definition of rhinitis used in epidemiological studies. The definition adopted by the European Community does not include rhinitis caused by low-molecular- weight allergens.

Click here for Is Occupational Allergy of the Upper Airway a Serious Problem? Symptoms caused by bio-aerosol containing bacteria, endotoxin, fungal spores and â-glucans induces nonallergic inflammation of the upper airways (Medscape Allergy & Clinical Immunology MedPulse - Feb 1, 2006)

Medical Reporter Jessa Goddard investigates. "In mid-October, Ali, while she was at school. I'd take her in the morning to the bus stop, she felt great. I'd get a call around 9:30 asking to pick her up," concerned parent Ida Randall said.

Click here for Knoxville school closed due to mold problems (WVLT, TN - Feb 2, 2006)

The renovations included the removal of mold spores that had been building up for years. Workers have installed a new ventilation system and new insulation, have waterproofed parts of the house and have repainted much of the interior.

Click here for Follow-Up: Easleys are back in governor's mansion - $4 million renovations to solve mold problem have been completed (Winston-Salem Journal, NC - Feb 4, 2006)

The Inn at Penn renovation project began in November, six years after the hotel opened in 1999. The renovations are slated for completion in September. Barag said that prior to the renovation project, the Inn at Penn was frequently tested for mold levels and the problem had been remediated several times. She did not specify how the problem had been temporarily remedied.

Click here for Inn at Penn mold not a risk for most - Experts say substance may cause an allergic reaction, but can't cause serious health problems (Daily Pennsylvanian, PA - Feb 3, 2006)

A: Aspergillus is a fungus. If ever there was a fungus that fit the ditty "there's a fungus among us," it has to be Aspergillus. It's everywhere -- in decaying vegetation, in soil, in food, in water and in the air. No one on planet Earth escapes contact with it. However, it causes trouble only in a few.

Click here for Common fungus (Aspergillus), uncommon reaction (Contra Costa Times, CA - Jan 30, 2006)

Aflatoxin is produced from the growth of the fungus, aspergillus flavus, on corn and other crops. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) might get more stringent with alfatoxin rules after the Japanese discovery. “Somebody will get audited by the FDA,” Hurburgh warned. He said regulations require farmers who know they have aflatoxin-tainted corn to document they sold it to a proper channel.

Click here for Alfatoxin rules may become more stringent (Bismarck Farm & Ranch Guide, USA - Feb 3, 2006)

Histopathological analysis of mice intratracheally injected with this fungus was also performed. The results disclosed that the conidia of S. chartarum were resistant to the antifungal activities of alveolar macrophages in terms of phagocytosis, killing and inhibition of germination. However, the conidia could not survive in the lungs of mice when injected intratracheally. Lavage fluid of mycelia that contained the dark slimy material coating the surface of conidia showed cytotoxic activity against macrophages and PMNs. Intratracheal injection of conidia in mice resulted in intraalveolar infiltration of PMNs. When using multiple injections during a 3-week period, strong eosinophilic infiltration into the proximal alveoli and perivascular tissues was observed. Our results suggest that inhalation of conidia may cause serious damage to the human lung, particularly when repeated.

Cli k here for Mold Education: The Pathogenicity of Stachybotrys chartarum. (Nippon Ishinkin Gakkai Zasshi. 2005;46(2):109-17.) [Ed. Note: Article in English]

The Betts' spent years thinking about and planning their dream house. But roughly a decade after it was built, Mary Ann and her husband Duane discovered their home, the four-walled fruits of their labor, was quite literally rotting.

Click here for Mold & the Law: A quirk in the law that could cost Minnesota homeowners everything (KARE, MN - Feb 2, 2006)

As Botrytis cinerea, a pathogen that makes strawberries gray and fuzzy, tries to invade a plant, the gene BIK1 recognizes the pathogen and sets off a defensive reaction. Botrytis is a type of pathogen that can infect and obtain nutrients from dead cells on a plant and actually secretes toxic substances into plant tissue in order to gain entry. Another type of pathogen, called a biotroph, must feed on live plant cells. As a strategy to contain a pathogen, plants actually kill their own cells at the site where a biotrophic pathogen is attempting to invade.

Click here for Mold & Biotechnology: A single fungus-fighting gene apparently thwarts a disease-causing invader that creates a fuzzy gray coating on flowers, fruits and vegetables. But the same gene provides access to a different type of pathogen.

The windows are aluminum. The builder has come back to fix the windows several times, by caulking them on the inside and outside. He also had to replace two studs and some framing below three windows together in the family room, and re-stucco the back of the house.

Click here for Mold & Construction: Windows should not need annual caulking to stop leaks (Scripps Howard News Service, DC - Feb 5, 2006)

Laboratory testing of the Big 6 Plus Germicidal has proved it eradicates E-coli, Listeria, Pseudomonas, Salmonella, Staphylococcus, and Streptococcus. Recently, there has been laboratory documentation that proved it also killed a strain of Avian Influenza, Candida Albicans, the most common fungal infection in immunosuppressed patients, as well as Stachybotrys Chartarum mold spores (Black Mold).

Click here for Mold & Technology: eFoodSafety.com Inc. Subsidiary, Knock-Out Technologies Ltd., Receives EPA Registration on Its Big 6 Plus Germicidal Product (Genetic Engineering News, NY - Feb 2, 2006)

No Burn of California, based in Rowland Heights, offers fire and mold retardants that deprive wood from igniting and keep mold from getting the food it needs to grow. The company has a line of products that can be sprayed onto the wood during the framing phase of new construction or renovation. There also are products that may be applied to drywall or other surfaces that can accept paint.

Click here for Mold, Technology & Investment: Chase Home Finance Teams with Safety Experts to Offer Incentive-Based Home Developer Loan Programs for Builders Using Mold Retardents (RisMedia.com, CT - Feb 2, 2006)

Ms. Mulvihill's confidential services include, depending on who she is retained by, and when:

• Analysis of property damage and personal injuries
• Conducting a property inspection
• Reviewing medical records
• Determination of the potential for a causal link between mycological issues and personal injuries
• Research of what needs to be done to prove -- or disprove -- property damage, personal injuries, and their causal links
• Determination what entity or entities might have caused property damage
• Reviewing insurance policies to determine if insurance coverage is available for the claims
• Determination what kind of expert or experts need to be retained to prove or disprove a case
• Preparation of expert witnesses for depositions
• Preparation of written discovery
• Preparation of attorneys for questioning of expert witnesses

Click here for Mold Professionals: Cynthia Coulter Mulvihill (Mold Litigation Consulting)