Why I’m Focusing on Fungi

Viruses, bacteria, and fungi are everywhere—in soil, water, air, on surfaces, in food, and even inside our bodies. Most are harmless or even beneficial, but some can cause serious illness. What’s less widely known is that viruses can sometimes hijack fungi as a surrogate host, using their cells to shelter, replicate, or spread.

For someone with a compromised immune system, this invisible partnership is a quiet but potent threat. Fungi thrive in damp spaces—beneath kitchen sinks, in poorly ventilated bathrooms, inside washing machines—and can also be present in processed foods or even drinking water. In my own tests using petri dishes and basic microscopy, I repeatedly found Penicillium and Candida—and in some cases, viral particles hiding within fungal cells.

In terms of resilience, viruses are generally the hardest to destroy, followed by fungi, and then bacteria. Viruses survive by invading living cells, fungi are hard to treat without damaging our own tissues, and bacteria—though dangerous—are usually the most responsive to targeted treatments. But when fungi and viruses collaborate, the threat becomes far harder to eliminate.

Viruses are the hardest to kill, fungi close behind, bacteria a distant third. But when viruses and fungi form an alliance. That is why I pay attention—because I cannot afford not to.

 “Mold Allergen Mix 2” contains:

• Penicillium notatum (now usually called P. chrysogenum)

• Cladosporium herbarum

• Aspergillus fumigatus

• Candida albicans

• Alternaria alternata

• Helminthosporium halodes (now Setomelanomma rostrata)

These are tested together to detect mold allergies via specific IgE testing (blood or skin prick).

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General effects in sensitive individuals

• Allergic airway reactions – coughing, sneezing, runny or blocked nose, itchy or watery eyes, throat irritation.

• May worsen asthma or allergic rhinitis symptoms.

• Can trigger hypersensitivity pneumonitis or other lung inflammation in certain cases.

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Typical symptoms by component

• Alternaria alternata

  • Strong link to upper and lower airway hypersensitivity.

  • Can cause asthma attacks, allergic fungal rhinosinusitis, and in severe cases bronchopulmonary mycoses or hypersensitivity pneumonitis.

• Cladosporium herbarum, Penicillium, Aspergillus

  • Common triggers for asthma and other respiratory allergies.

  • Often worsen pre-existing allergic conditions.

• Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, Penicillium

  • Can be involved in allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis (ABPM) or allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) with symptoms such as:

    • Severe asthma

    • Elevated eosinophil counts

    • High total IgE

    • Possible bronchiectasis and chronic airway colonization.

• Candida albicans

  • More known for skin and mucosal infections, but in allergen testing it’s included because it can also sensitize the airways.

• Helminthosporium halodes (Setomelanomma rostrata)

  • Little specific clinical data, but included as a potential airborne allergen.

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Summary Table

Mold / Yeast in Mix 2	Possible Symptoms
Mix 2 overall	General allergic symptoms, airway irritation
Alternaria alternata	Asthma attacks, sinusitis, strong airway hypersensitivity
Cladosporium, Penicillium, Aspergillus	Asthma, respiratory allergies
Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, Penicillium	ABPA / ABPM: severe asthma, high IgE, lung damage
Helminthosporium halodes	Limited data, possible respiratory allergy

Test: 

Mold mixture 2
Penicillium notatum
Cladosporium herbarum
Aspergillus fumigatus
Candida albicans
Alternaria alternata
Helminthosporium halodes

A specific ISAC® IgE biochip is also used for allergy diagnostics, such as mold allergy (rAsp f 6).

If a mold allergy is suspected, skin tests (prick tests) or blood tests (IgE antibody tests) are performed. If invasive aspergillosis, a severe mold infection, is suspected, blood tests such as the galactomannan test can be performed. Other methods such as contact lenses, sedimentation plates, or culture medium tests are generally used to determine mold contamination in indoor air.

Allergy to mold: Skin tests (prick tests):

An allergist can test for mold allergens using a prick test by applying small amounts of the allergen to the skin and assessing the reaction.

Blood tests (IgE antibody tests):

These tests measure the concentration of allergen-specific IgE antibodies in the blood, which indicate sensitization to mold.

Multiparametric testing methods (e.g., ISAC® IgE biochip):

These tests enable a comprehensive analysis of sensitization to various allergens, including mold.

Mold infections:
Aspergillosis:

If invasive aspergillosis, a severe infection with the mold Aspergillus, is suspected, blood cultures or the galactomannan test can be performed to detect the fungus or its metabolites in the blood.

Other infections:
For other mold infections, further specific tests may be required depending on the suspected diagnosis, such as the detection of fungi in tissue samples.

Deep learning reveals antibiotics in the archaeal proteome  

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-025-02061-0

Impact of Penicillium on Muscle and Lung Function: What Healthcare Professionals Should Know
https://swaresearch.blogspot.com/2025/06/aspergillus-trichoderma-and-penicillium.html

Symbiosis Between Viruses and Bacteria – A Fascinating Partnership in the Microbial World
https://swaresearch.blogspot.com/2025/07/symbiosis-between-viruses-and-bacteria.html

© 2000-2025 Sieglinde W. Alexander. All writings by Sieglinde W. Alexander have a fife year copy right. Library of Congress Card Number: LCN 00-192742