Effect of Plasterboard Composition on Stachybotrys chartarum Growth and Biological Activity of Spores
Abstract
ABSTRACT The effects of plasterboard composition on the growth and sporulation of Stachybotrys chartarum as well as on the inflammatory potential of the spores were studied. S. chartarum was grown on 13 modified plasterboards under saturated humidity conditions. The biomass was estimated by measuring the ergosterol content of the S. chartarum culture while the spore-induced cytotoxicity and production of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 in mouse macrophages was used to illustrate the bioactivity of spores. The ergosterol content of S. chartarum correlated with the number of spores collected from plasterboards. The growth and sporulation decreased compared to that of the reference board in those cases where (i) the liner was treated with biocide, (ii) starch was removed from the plasterboard, or (iii) desulfurization gypsum was used in the core. Spores collected from all the plasterboards were toxic to the macrophages. The biocide added to the core did not reduce the growth; in fact, the spores collected from that board evoked the highest cytotoxicity. The conventional additives used in the core had inhibitory effects on growth. Recycled plasterboards used in the core and the board lacking the starch triggered spore-induced TNF-α production in macrophages. In summary, this study shows that the growth of a strain of S. chartarum on plasterboard and the subsequent bioactivity of spores were affected by minor changes to the composition of the core or liners, but it could not be totally prevented without resorting to the use of biocides. However, incomplete prevention of microbial growth by biocides even increased the cytotoxic potential of the spores.
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Cited By (3)
- Can we use indoor fungi as bioindicators of indoor air quality? Historical perspectives and open questionsThe Science of The Total Environment · 2010
- Surviving Mold Indoor Environmental Professional Panel - Consensus for microbial remediation 2020Medical Research Archives · 2011
- Effects of microbial cocultivation on inflammatory and cytotoxic potential of sporesInhalation Toxicology · 2005
References (9)
- Building-Associated Pulmonary Disease From Exposure toStachybotrys chartarum and Aspergillus versicolorJournal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine · 1998
- Effects of Intranasal Exposure to Spores of Stachybotrys atra in MiceToxicological Sciences · 1997
- Clinical experience and results of a sentinel health investigation related to indoor fungal exposureEnvironmental Health Perspectives · 1999
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