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Growth and mycotoxin production by Chaetomium globosum

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Abstract

Chaetomium globosum, the most common species within this genus, produces chaetoglobosins A and C when cultured on building material. Relatively low levels of these compounds have been shown to be lethal to various tissue culture cell lines. This study had two major objectives: (1) to determine the frequency at which Chaetomium species are isolated in water-damaged buildings and (2) to examine the production of chaetoglobosins A and C in isolates of C. globosum obtained from different buildings. Out of 794 water-damaged buildings, Chaetomium species were isolated in 49% of these structures. C. globosum ATCC 16021 was grown on four different media: oatmeal agar (OA), potato dextrose agar (PDA), corn meal agar (CMA), and malt extract agar (MEA). After 4 weeks, fungal growth was evaluated based on colony diameter and the quantity of spores produced on agar plates. In addition, production of chaetoglobosin A and C was monitored using high performance liquid chromatography. Colony diameter, spore production, and mycotoxin production by C. globosum were the highest on OA. Out of 30 C. globosum isolates cultured on OA for 4 weeks, 16 produced detectable amounts of chaetoglobosin A and every isolate produced chaetoglobosin C.

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Acknowledgments

Funding for this project was provided by Grant No. T42 CCT610417-11 from the National Institute for Occupational and Environmental Health (NIOSH)/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to the Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (SWCOEH), a NIOSH Education and Research Center. Isolates of Chaetomium species were kindly provided by Janice Jones at Aerotech Laboratories (Phoenix, AZ), Dr Weiqun Chen at P&K Microbiology Services (Cherry Hill, NJ) and Dr Larysa Andriychuk at the Center for Indoor Air Research (Lubbock, TX). The authors also thank Assured Indoor Air Quality (Dallas, TX) for access to their database and Dr Stephen C. Wilson for critical review of this manuscript. In addition, much gratitude is given to Dr Birgitte Andersen at the Center for Microbial Biotechnology at the Technical University of Denmark (Lyngby, Denmark) for analyzing our methanol extracts and confirming the presence of chaetoglobosins A and C.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, 3601 4th Street, Mail stop 6591, Lubbock, TX, 79430, USA

    Matthew R. Fogle, David R. Douglas & David C. Straus

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, 3601 4th Street, Mail stop 9410, Lubbock, TX, 79430, USA

    Cynthia A. Jumper

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  1. Matthew R. Fogle
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Correspondence to David C. Straus.

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Fogle, M.R., Douglas, D.R., Jumper, C.A. et al. Growth and mycotoxin production by Chaetomium globosum . Mycopathologia 164, 49–56 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-007-9023-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-007-9023-x

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