Post-remedial collection of 2,193 fungi samples were evaluated as a component of a three (3) tiered clearance criteria for mold remediations projects. Criterion #1 was the visual evaluation of remediated areas for the absence of fungal growth. Criterion #2 was the visual evaluation of surfaces in remediated areas for the absence of visible debris. Criterion #3 involved the evaluation of total f...

Dampness in buildings has been linked to adverse health effects, but the specific causative agents are unknown. Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by molds and toxic to higher vertebrates. In this study, mass spectrometry was used to demonstrate the presence of mycotoxins predominantly produced by Aspergillus spp. and Stachybotrys spp. in buildings with either ongoing dampness or a h...

Stachybotrys elegans is able to parasitize the fungal plant pathogen Rhizoctonia solani AG-3 following a complex and intimate interaction, which, among others, includes the production of cell wall-degrading enzymes, intracellular colonization, and expression of pathogenic process encoding genes. However, information on the metabolome level is non-existent during mycoparasitism. Here, we perform...

Six novel spirodihydrobenzofuranlactams I ~ VI (1 ~ 6) (Fig. 1) have been identified in extracts of two different Stachybotrys species as antagonists of endothelin and as inhibitors of HIV-1 protease. In a recently published paper1} we described the fermentation, isolation and biological properties of these secondary metabolites 1 ~6. Besides this novel class of the spirodihydrobenzofurans incl...

Damp building-related illnesses (DBRI) include a myriad of respiratory, immunologic, and neurologic symptoms that are sometimes etiologically linked to aberrant indoor growth of the toxic black mold, Stachybotrys chartarum. Although supportive evidence for such linkages is limited, there are exciting new findings about this enigmatic organism relative to its environmental dissemination, novel b...