Phoma sp. |
Mitosporic fungus. Coelomycetes. Teleomorph (sexual state): Pleospora (Ascomycete). | |
| Distribution | Where Found | Mode of Dissemination |
| Ubiquitous; cosmopolitan. Approx. 80 species. |
Plant material, soil, and as a fruit parasite. /span> | Insects. Wind (when dried out). |
| Allergen | Potential Opportunist or Pathogen | Potential Toxin Production |
| Type I allergies (hay fever, asthma). Type III hypersensitivity pneumonitis: Shower curtain hypersensitivity. |
Mycotic keratitis, rare skin infection, and a few cases of subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis reported. | Not known. |
| Growth Indoors | Industrial Uses | Other Comments |
| Frequently found on walls, ceiling tiles, on the reverse side of linoleum. Also found on cement, paint, paper, wood, wool, and foods such as rice and butter. May have little effect on the indoor air because the spores are not readily disseminated by air currents. | Not known. | Parasitic on plants. |
| Characteristics: Growth/Culture | Notes on Spore Trap Recognition | Notes on Tape Lift Recognition |
| Grows well on general fungal media. Very small spores formed in pycnidia (asexual fruiting bodies). Sticky masses of spores ooze out of the ostiole (opening) in the pycnidia. | Not recognizable on spore trap slides. | Identifiable on tape lifts if the spores and entire fruiting body are present. Pycnidia, however, do not always lift well on tape sampling; masses of very small spores found within a mat of fungal mycelia is often indicative of Phoma. |
| Definitions | References | Commentary | ||