Molds and mycotoxins indoors III: Three case reports

Abstract

Molds are microscopic fungi which are one of the most diverse and abundant eukaryotes. Not all fungi produce molds, some produce mushrooms and others grow as single cells like yeasts. Molds are ubiquitous, both outdoors and indoors. Certain molds produce mycotoxins that can cause many adverse health effects, especially in immunocompromised and/or genetically predisposed individuals. Here we present three cases of adverse health effects from the exposure to molds and mycotoxins: one healthy individual, one individual with an autoimmune disease, and one individual with genetic predisposition in five HLA/DR/DQ gene alleles.