Cladosporium sp. |
Mitosporic fungus. Hyphomycetes. Teleomorphs (sexual state): Mycosphaerella, Venturia (Ascomycetes). | |
| Distribution | Where Found | Mode of Dissemination |
| Ubiquitous; cosmopolitan. Approx. 28-40 species. One of the most common genera, worldwide. |
Soil of many different types, plant litter, plant pathogen, leaf surfaces, old or decayed plants. /span> | Dry spore (formed in very fragile chains, easily dispersed). Wind. |
| Allergen | Potential Opportunist or Pathogen | Potential Toxin Production |
| Common and important allergen. Type I allergies (hay fever, asthma). Type III hypersensitivity pneumonitis: Hot tub lung, Moldy wall hypersensitivity. |
Generally, non-pathogenic. One species, Cladosporium carrionii, is an agent of chromoblastomycosis in subtropical and tropical regions (grows at 35-37°C). | Cladosporin, emodin. (Neither are highly toxic.) |
| Growth Indoors | Industrial Uses | Other Comments |
| Widespread, on many substrates, including textiles, wood, moist window sills. Grows at 0°C, and so is associated with refrigerated foods. Aw=0.85-0.88 (minimum for various species). |
C. herbarum produces enzymes which are used in the transformation of steroid intermediates such as pregnenolone and progesterone, biologically important hormones used in the industrial production of oral contraceptives. | G.S. deHoog & J. Guarro have placed species associated with human infection in a new genus Cladophialophora, i.e. Cladophialophora carrionii, C. bantiana. Older medical texts refer to this fungus by its former name Hormodendron species. |
| Characteristics: Growth/Culture | Notes on Spore Trap Recognition | Notes on Tape Lift Recognition |
| Grows on all general fungal media. Some species sporulate better than others, and some may need cycles of light in order to produce spores. | Distinctive, with wide variation in size and shape. Spores with dark attachment scars and some olive to brown pigmentation are identified as Cladosporium. | Distinctive, readily identifiable on tape lifts. |
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| Definitions | References | Commentary | ||