Mold Education

There are a lot of different types of mold that can infect your home or workplace. Below you’ll find a detailed list of different mold types along with their associated side effects.

Fungi	Allergens	Growth Indoors	Image
Alternaria sp.	Commonly recognized. Type I allergies (hay fever, asthma). Type III hypersensitivity pneumonitis: Woodworker’s lung, Apple store hypersensitivity. May cross react with Ulocladium, Stemphylium, Phoma, others.	On a variety of substrates.
Ascospores	Highly variable, dependent on genus and species. Poorly studied.	The cellulolytic ascomycetes Chaetomium and Ascotricha are frequently found growing indoors on damp substrates.
Aspergillus sp.	Common. Type I allergies (hay fever, asthma). Type III hypersensitivity pneumonitis: Humidifier lung, Malt worker’s lung, Compost lung, Wood trimmer’s disease, Straw hypersensitivity, Farmer’s lung, Oat grain hypersensitivity, others. Other: A. fumigatus: allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA), allergic fungal sinusitis.	On a wide range of substrates. Water requirements range widely (dependent on species).
Basidiospores	Probably common. Type I allergies (hay fever, asthma). Type III hypersensitivity pneumonitis: Lycoperdonosis (puffball spores), Mushroom culture hypersensitivity.	Serpula lacrimans, the agent of “dry rot,” and other fungi causing white and brown wood rot, grow and destroy the structural wood of buildings. Poria incrassata causes a particularly destructive dry rot in buildings.
Beltrania sp.	No information is available regarding health effects, or toxicity. Allergenicity has not been studied.	Beltrania species comprise a very small proportion of the fungal biota.
Drechslera, Bipolaris, and Exserohilum group	Common. Type I allergies (hay fever, asthma). Other: Most commonly reported cause of allergic fungal sinusitis.	Yes, on a variety of substrates.
Chaetomium sp.	Not well studied. Type I allergies (hay fever, asthma).	Widespread, cellulolytic, very commonly found on damp sheetrock paper.
Cladosporium sp.	Common and important allergen. Type I allergies (hay fever, asthma). Type III hypersensitivity pneumonitis: Hot tub lung, Moldy wall hypersensitivity.	Widespread, on many substrates, including textiles, wood, moist window sills. Grows at 0°C, and so is associated with refrigerated foods.
Epicoccum sp.	Common. Type I allergies (hay fever, asthma).	Yes, on many different substrates including paper, textiles, and insects.
Fusarium sp.	Type I allergies (hay fever, asthma).	Occasionally found on a variety of substrates. Fusarium requires very wet conditions.
Memnoniella sp.	Not studied.	Yes, on a variety of substrates. Cellulolytic.
Nigrospora sp.	Type I allergies (hay fever, asthma).	Rarely found growing indoors.
Penicillium sp.	Common. Type I allergies (hay fever, asthma). Type III hypersensitivity pneumonitis: Cheese washer’s lung, Woodman’s lung, Moldy wall hypersensitivity.	Widespread. Commonly found in house dust. Grows in water damaged buildings on wallpaper, wallpaper glue, decaying fabrics, moist chipboards, and behind paint. Also found in blue rot of apples, dried foodstuffs, cheeses, fresh herbs, spices, dry cereals, nuts, onions, and oranges.
Pithomyces sp.	Not studied.	Rarely found growing indoors. Can grow on paper.
Scopulariopsis sp.	Very little is known about the health effects of this fungus. Certain species may be involved in human onychomycoses or pulmonary mycoses.	Species are frequently isolated from food and building materials such as drywall paper and wood.
Stachybotrys sp.	Not well studied. Type I allergies reported.	Commonly found indoors on wet materials containing cellulose, such as wallboard, jute, wicker, straw baskets, and other paper materials.
Torula sp.	Type I allergies (hay fever, asthma).	Found indoors on cellulose containing materials such as jute, old sacking, wicker, straw baskets, wood, and paper.
Ulocladium sp.	Major. Type I allergies (hay fever, asthma). Ulocladium cross-reacts with Alternaria, adding to the allergenic burden of Alternaria-sensitive patients.	Widespread. Found on gypsum board, paper, paint, tapestries, jute, other straw materials. Ulocladium has a high water requirement.
Zygomycetes	Sinus congestion, Asthma, soar throat, sneezing, itchy watery eyes, Hay Fever.	Rhizopus and Mucor are two of the most common Zygomycetes seen in the indoor environment.