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Updated: Mar 14, 2026
Collection and Extraction of Occupational Air Samples for Analysis of Fungal DNA
Published on: May 2, 2018
Identification of fungal candidates for asthma protection in a large population-based study
Susanne Mueller-Rompa1, Tobias Janke2, Karin Schwaiger2
1Dr von Hauner Children's Hospital, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Munich, Germany.
Background:
Exposure to molds has been related to asthma risk both positively and negatively, depending on the environmental setting. The pertinent results are based on generic markers or culturing methods although the majority of present fungi cannot be cultured under laboratory conditions. The aim of the present analysis was to assess environmental dust samples for asthma-protective fungal candidates with a comprehensive molecular technique covering also non-cultivable and non-viable fungi.
Methods:
Mattress dust samples of 844 children from the GABRIELA study were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) of the fungus-specific internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. Known asthma candidate species were tested for their associations with asthma, and further gel positions were sought to explain the above. As a second, data-driven, analysis, we tested the association of each individual gel position with asthma.
Results:
In the hypothesis-driven approach, Penicillium chrysogenum emerged with an odds ratio of 0.80 (95% confidence interval 0.66-0.96; p = 0.020). The effect size was changed by 39% toward the null when adjusting for the two bands 683 (DNA of Metschnikowia sp., Aureobasidium spp.) and 978 (DNA of Epicoccum spp., Galactomyces spp., uncultured Penicillium). The data-driven approach yielded an additional band (containing DNA of Pseudotaeniolina globosa) with reduced risk of asthma (OR = 0.80 [0.66-0.96], p = 0.012).
Conclusions:
A large population-based study revealed several fungal taxa with inverse associations with childhood asthma. Molds produce a variety of bioactive compounds with detrimental but also beneficial immunoregulatory capacities, which renders them promising targets for further asthma research.
Insights
Certain fungi in dust may protect children from asthma. This study identified specific fungal DNA in mattress dust linked to reduced asthma risk, offering new avenues for asthma prevention research.
Area of Science:
- Environmental microbiology
- Immunology
- Molecular biology
Background:
- Mold exposure is linked to asthma, with complex effects.
- Current methods struggle to identify all relevant fungi, especially non-culturable ones.
- Understanding fungal roles in asthma requires advanced molecular techniques.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify fungal candidates in environmental dust associated with protection against childhood asthma.
- To utilize comprehensive molecular methods for detecting cultivable, non-cultivable, and non-viable fungi.
- To explore the immunoregulatory potential of fungi in asthma.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of mattress dust samples from 844 children using Polymerase Chain Reaction-Single-Strand Conformation Polymorphism (PCR-SSCP).
- Targeted analysis of known asthma-associated fungal species within the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region.
- Data-driven approach to identify novel fungal associations with asthma risk by examining individual gel positions.
Main Results:
- Penicillium chrysogenum DNA was associated with a reduced risk of asthma (OR=0.80).
- Fungal DNA from Metschnikowia, Aureobasidium, Epicoccum, Galactomyces, and uncultured Penicillium also showed protective associations.
- DNA of Pseudotaeniolina globosa was identified as a novel protective factor against asthma (OR=0.80).
Conclusions:
- Several fungal taxa in dust are inversely associated with childhood asthma.
- Fungi produce bioactive compounds with potential immunoregulatory effects relevant to asthma.
- These findings highlight fungi as promising targets for future asthma research and potential therapeutic strategies.
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