Spore Dispersal and Germination in Stachybotrys

水穗属植物中的孢子传播和萌发

• 批准号: 6848190
• 负责人: NICHOLAS P MONEY
• 金额: $ 21.3万
• 依托单位: MIAMI UNIVERSITY OXFORD
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-01-01 至 2007-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6848190
• 关键词: Aspergillus; Fungi; air filtration; disease vectors; environmental air flow; environmental exposure; fungal antigens; microscopy; mitosporic Ascomycota; mycosis; mycotoxins; spores; tissue /cell culture; vibration; water flow

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project is concerned with spore dispersal in the black mold Stachybotrys chartarum, a toxin-producing fungus of growing public health concern as a contaminant of water-damaged buildings. Human exposure to its spores has been associated with a variety of respiratory and neurological illnesses, including a cluster of idiopathic pulmonary hemorrhage (IPH) cases in infants in Ohio. The biological activity of Stachybotrys toxins is a subject of intensive research effort in other laboratories, but little attention has been paid to the mechanisms of spore dispersal that cast these compounds into the air. This project is motivated by the following question: How do the sticky spores of this mold move and contaminate the indoor environment? The first set of experiments will examine the effects of airflow, substrate vibration, and water movement on spore dispersal. The possibility that insects may act as vectors for dispersal of Stachybotrys spores will be the focus of a second aim. Thirdly, spore germination will be assessed using a multi-well plate method in relation to water availability, substrate composition, temperature, conidial age, and density of conidial deposits. These experiments will clarify both the mode of human exposure (an issue of major clinical significance), and the way that the mold spreads through buildings. Many of the proposed experiments are perfectly suited for undergraduate students. Students involved in this work will benefit by gaining extremely valuable laboratory experience, and by making important contributions to our understanding of the biology of Stachybotrys.

描述（由申请人提供）：本项目涉及黑霉Stachybotrys chartarum的孢子散布，Stachybotrys chartarum是一种产生毒素的真菌，作为被水损坏的建筑物的污染物，日益引起公众健康关注。人类暴露于其孢子与多种呼吸系统和神经系统疾病有关，包括俄亥俄州婴儿的一系列特发性肺出血（IPH）病例。Stachybotrys毒素的生物活性是其他实验室深入研究的课题，但很少有人关注将这些化合物释放到空气中的孢子扩散机制。这个项目的动机是以下问题：这种霉菌的粘性孢子是如何移动和污染室内环境的？第一组实验将检验气流、基质振动和水运动对孢子传播的影响。昆虫作为传播Stachybotrys孢子的媒介的可能性将是第二个目标的重点。第三，将使用多孔板法评估孢子萌发，该方法与水分有效性、基质成分、温度、孢子年龄和孢子沉积物密度有关。这些实验将阐明人体暴露的模式（一个具有重要临床意义的问题），以及霉菌通过建筑物传播的方式。许多提议的实验都非常适合本科生。参与这项工作的学生将受益于获得极其宝贵的实验室经验，并为我们对Stachybotrys生物学的理解做出重要贡献。