Location

Nessmith-Lane Atrium

Session Format

Poster Presentation

Research Area Topic:

Public Health & Well Being - Community & Practice-based Research

Co-Presenters and Faculty Mentors or Advisors

Teyaijah Givens (Georgia Southern University)

Nosa Nwaonumah (Georgia Southern University)

Bushra Shah (Georgia Southern University)

Dr. Atin Adhikari (Georgia Southern University)

Abstract

Dampness and fungal exposures in buildings are widespread, with estimates ranging from 18% to 50% of buildings being affected. Of the 21.8 million people reported to have asthma in the USA, approximately 4.6 million cases are attributable to dampness and mold exposure in the home. Consequent national annual cost of asthma is about $3.5 billion. Several fungal genera from damp environments were reported to be associated with allergy and/or asthma and some species can release mycotoxins in the environment. Although there are several mold inhibitor or disinfectant solutions and sprays available in the market for cleaning and inhibiting mold growth, their efficacy has rarely been tested through scientific studies conducted in laboratories and these solutions contain chlorine bleach or similar active ingredients, including formaldehyde, diisocyanates, organic acid anhydrides, styrene, hydroquinone, alcohols, ammonia, glycols, and glycol ethers, which have different kinds of adverse health effects. Given: (1) the uncertainty of disinfectant effectiveness against molds, (2) the risk of inducing microbial resistance to chemicals, and (3) the health concerns related to the use of disinfectants, it is critical to develop and evaluate natural antifungal products, which are relatively safer for health. In this pilot study, we have evaluated three plant based products - tea tree oil, grape fruit seed extracts, and natural vinegar - against growth of three specific allergenic and toxic mold species (Aspergillus versicolor, Penicillium brevicompactum, and Stachybotrys chartarum). Spore solutions (105-107 spores/mL) of these three mold species were prepared from pure cultures and 200 åµL of solutions were spread over malt extract agar plates. Three 20 åµL drops of different dilutions of three above-mentioned natural products were applied on agar plate surfaces immediately after spore solution inoculation. Inhibition zones on agar plates were examined after the incubation of plates for 96 hours at 30å±2å¡C. We found that up to 10 times dilutions of grape fruit seed extracts developed 18-50 mm zones of inhibition for all mold species, up to two times dilutions of tea tree oil completely inhibited all three species but 5X dilution was effective for S. chartarum. Natural vinegar, on the other hand, inhibited S. chartarum and P. brevicompactum only and the inhibition zones for mold growth on agar surfaces were 18-28 mm.

Keywords

Fungal exposure, Asthma, Mycotoxins, Mold, Microbial resistance

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Presentation Type and Release Option

Presentation (Open Access)

Start Date

4-16-2016 10:45 AM

End Date

4-16-2016 12:00 PM

Included in

Epidemiology Commons

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Apr 16th, 10:45 AM Apr 16th, 12:00 PM

Effect of Natural Products Against Growth of Three Allergenic and Toxigenic Molds

Nessmith-Lane Atrium

Dampness and fungal exposures in buildings are widespread, with estimates ranging from 18% to 50% of buildings being affected. Of the 21.8 million people reported to have asthma in the USA, approximately 4.6 million cases are attributable to dampness and mold exposure in the home. Consequent national annual cost of asthma is about $3.5 billion. Several fungal genera from damp environments were reported to be associated with allergy and/or asthma and some species can release mycotoxins in the environment. Although there are several mold inhibitor or disinfectant solutions and sprays available in the market for cleaning and inhibiting mold growth, their efficacy has rarely been tested through scientific studies conducted in laboratories and these solutions contain chlorine bleach or similar active ingredients, including formaldehyde, diisocyanates, organic acid anhydrides, styrene, hydroquinone, alcohols, ammonia, glycols, and glycol ethers, which have different kinds of adverse health effects. Given: (1) the uncertainty of disinfectant effectiveness against molds, (2) the risk of inducing microbial resistance to chemicals, and (3) the health concerns related to the use of disinfectants, it is critical to develop and evaluate natural antifungal products, which are relatively safer for health. In this pilot study, we have evaluated three plant based products - tea tree oil, grape fruit seed extracts, and natural vinegar - against growth of three specific allergenic and toxic mold species (Aspergillus versicolor, Penicillium brevicompactum, and Stachybotrys chartarum). Spore solutions (105-107 spores/mL) of these three mold species were prepared from pure cultures and 200 åµL of solutions were spread over malt extract agar plates. Three 20 åµL drops of different dilutions of three above-mentioned natural products were applied on agar plate surfaces immediately after spore solution inoculation. Inhibition zones on agar plates were examined after the incubation of plates for 96 hours at 30å±2å¡C. We found that up to 10 times dilutions of grape fruit seed extracts developed 18-50 mm zones of inhibition for all mold species, up to two times dilutions of tea tree oil completely inhibited all three species but 5X dilution was effective for S. chartarum. Natural vinegar, on the other hand, inhibited S. chartarum and P. brevicompactum only and the inhibition zones for mold growth on agar surfaces were 18-28 mm.