Cladosporium

Epicoccum

Cladosporium is the most frequently found species in outdoor air in temperate climates. It is often found indoors, usually in lesser numbers than outdoors. The dry conidia become easily airborne and are transported over long distances. This fungus is often encountered in dirty refrigerators, especially in reservoirs where condensation is collected. On moist window frames, it can easily be seen covering the whole painted area with a velvety olive-green layer. Cladosporium often discolors interior paint, paper, or textiles stored under humid conditions. Houses with poor ventilation, houses with thatched straw roofs and houses situated in low damp environments may have heavy concentrations of Cladosporium, which will be easily expressed when domestic mold is analyzed. It is commonly found on the surface of fiberglass duct liner in the interior of supply ducts. It is also found on dead plants, woody plants, food, straw, soil, paint, and textiles. The ability to sporulate heavily, ease of dispersal, and buoyant spores makes this fungus the most important fungal airway allergen; and together with Alternaria, it commonly causes asthma and hay fever in the Western hemisphere. A few species of this genus cause disease, which range from phaeohyphomycosis, a group of mycotic infections characterized by the presence of demataceous septate hyphae. Infections of the eyes and skin by black fungi (also classified as phaeohyphomycosis), and chromoblastomycosis, chronic localized infection of the skin and subcutaneous tissue that follows the traumatic implantation of the etiologic agent are also caused by this fungus. Chromoblastomycosis lesions are verrucoid, ulcerated, and crusted. Skin abscesses, mycotic keratitis and pulmonary fungus