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Mold Species in Dust from the International Space Station Identified and Quantified by Mold Specific Quantitative PCR
Citation:
VESPER, S. J., W. Wong, M. Kuo, AND D. L. Pierson. Mold Species in Dust from the International Space Station Identified and Quantified by Mold Specific Quantitative PCR. Research in Microbiology. ELSEVIER, AMSTERDAM, Holland, 159(6):432-435, (2008).
Impact/Purpose:
The objective of this project is to demonstrate the usefulness of the application of the standardized dust sampling protocol in conjunction with the DNA-based method of mold analysis and the resulting Environmental Relative Moldiness Index in projects across the US related to childhood asthma.
Description:
Dust was collected over a period of several weeks in 2007 from HEPA filters in the U.S. Laboratory Module of the International Space Station (ISS). The dust was returned on the Space Shuttle Atlantis, mixed, sieved, and the DNA was extracted. Using a DNA-based method called mold specific quantitative PCR (MSQPCR), 39 molds were measured in the dust. Potential opportunistic pathogens Aspergillus flavus and A. niger and potential moderate toxin producers Penicillium chrysogenum and P. brevicompactum were noteworthy. No cells of the potential opportunistic pathogens A. fumigatus, A. terreus, Fusarium solani or Candida albicans were detected.