Occupational asthma induced by Chrysonilia sitophila in the logging industry,☆☆,,★★

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In vitro mycological methods

Representative fungal cultures were isolated from wood and subcultured on modified Leonian’s agar.12 The isolate was confirmed as C. sitophila (formerly known as Monilia sitophila) by characters outlined by von Arx13: rapid growth (~25 mm/day at 25° C) with aerial mycelium thin and cottony, soon producing ascendant sporodochial tufts bearing masses of salmon-orange conidia. Conidia are arthroconidia, produced in erect, branching chains with schizolytic dehiscence and are barrel-shaped,

RESULTS

Skin testing by prick test with the group of common aeroallergens revealed positive wheal and flare responses to fungal spores: Alternaria spp. (3+) and Aspergillus spp. (2+). Results of additional skin prick tests with extracts of oak, elm, pine, willow, poplar, maple, walnut, and birch (each 25,000 Noon U/ml, Bencard Laboratories) were negative. The patient was also skin tested with a sample of water from work, which was used to soak the wood, and with a mold sample from the wood at his work,

DISCUSSION

Workers in the wood industry are exposed to dusts and molds that may result in the development of respiratory symptoms in a proportion of workers. Atopic individuals have been shown to be particularly liable to hypersensitivity to inhaled antigens in the course of occupational exposure. It can be concluded that this patient has occupational asthma, as demonstrated by history, peak flow studies at work and at home, and changes in methacholine responsiveness. C. sitophila was likely the etiologic

Acknowledgements

We thank Ms. Susan Evans for technical assistance with the RAST assay, Mrs. K. Khan for assistance in skin testing, and Mr. Chris Diaz for help in data handling.

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From The Asthma Centre of The Toronto Hospital, Western Division, Toronto, Ontario; McMaster University Medical Centre, Hamilton, Ontario; and The Ontario Ministry of Health.

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Supported in part by The Ontario Thoracic Society and The Ontario Allergy Society.

Reprint requests: Susan M. Tarlo MB, BS, The Toronto Hospital, Western Division, 399 Bathurst St., EC4-009, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 2S8, Canada.

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