Satratoxin G from the Black Mold Stachybotrys chartarum Evokes Olfactory Sensory Neuron Loss and Inflammation in the Murine Noseand Brain

Abstract

Environmental Health Perspectives • VOLUME 114 | NUMBER 7 | July 2006 1099 Research Numerous adverse human health effects have been attributed to damp indoor air environ- ments generated by aberrant water exposure due to excessive condensation and failure of water-use devices, as well as building envelope breach during heavy rains or flooding, as occurred during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on the Gulf Coast of the United States. An Institute of Medicine (IOM) expert panel con- cluded that an association exists between damp buildings and upper respiratory tract symp- toms, wheeze, cough, and exacerbation of chronic lung diseases such as asthma, whereas supportive data for other reported outcomes such as neurocognitive dysfunction, mucous membrane irritation, fatigue, fever, and immune disorders are lacking (IOM 2004). Building-related illnesses are often linked to dampness-promoted growth of fungi (Fog Nielsen 2003) and, most notably, Stachybotrys chartarum, a saprophytic “black mold” that grows on cellulosic materials, including wall- board, ceiling tiles, and cardboard (Hossain et al. 2004). Incidences of indoor S. chartarum contamination often generate costly litigation and remediation, are extensively reported by the media, and have evoked intense public and scientific controversy (Hardin et al. 2003). The IOM panel suggested that although in vitro and in vivo research on S. chartarum and its mycotoxins suggests that adverse effects in humans are indeed “biologically plausible,” their association with building-related illnesses requires rigorous validation from the perspec- tives of mechanisms, dose response, and expo- sure assessment (IOM 2004). The satratoxins, macrocyclic trichothecenes produced by S. chartarum, are potent inhibitors of protein translation that initiate both inflam- matory gene expression and apoptosis in vitro after upstream activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) (Chung et al. 2003; Yang et al. 2000). Satratoxin equivalent air

Key Biomarkers

Symptom Clusters