Skip to main content
PMC home page
Applied and Environmental Microbiology logoLink to Applied and Environmental Microbiology
. 1981 Jun;41(6):1454–1460. doi: 10.1128/aem.41.6.1454-1460.1981

Microbial aerosols and actinomycetes in etiological considerations of mushroom workers' lungs.

J G Kleyn, W M Johnson, T F Wetzler
PMCID: PMC243938  PMID: 7195685

Abstract

Spent steamed compost, phase II compost, and dust emanating from spent compost during dumping of stationary-bed mushroom houses were examined bacteriologically. The total count for spent compost was 16 X 10(8) microorganisms per g. The total count for dust was 333 microorganisms per liter of air. Actinomycetes belonging to the genus Streptomyces often constituted 90% or more of isolates from dust, whereas mold spores constituted approximately 5%. Dust weight averaged 3.4 mg/liter of air and contained approximately 33% inanimate and 67% animate (microbial) particles. Spent compost and casing contained approximately 60% moisture; the average pH of compost was 6.93, and that of casing was 7.70. Ouchterlony precipitin results with antisera from workers afflicted with either farmer's or mushroom worker's lung were positive for Bacillus licheniformis, Micropolyspora faeni, Thermoactinomyces vulgaris, Aspergillus fumigatus, Humicola grisea var. thermoidea, spent compost, and phase II compost. Their usefulness in determining the etiology of this and related forms of allergic alveolitis is questioned and discussed. The relationship of dust particle size; microbial species, prevalence and antigenicity; and compost antigenicity to the etiology of mushroom worker's lung is discussed. The microbial ecology of mushroom compost and moldy hay associated with farmer's lung is compared.

Full text

PDF
1454

Images in this article

1457Image
on p.1457
1458Image
on p.1458

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. CROWLE A. J. A simplified micro double-diffusion agar precipitin technique. J Lab Clin Med. 1958 Nov;52(5):784–787. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Chan-Yeung M., Grzybowski S., Schonell M. E. Mushroom worker's lung. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1972 May;105(5):819–822. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1972.105.5.819. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Craig D. B., Donevan R. E. Mushroom-worker's lung. Can Med Assoc J. 1970 Jun 6;102(12):1289–1293. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Dijkman J. H., Borghans J. G., Savelberg P. J., Arkenbout P. M. Allergic bronchial reactions to inhalation of enzymes of Bacillus subtilis. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1973 Mar;107(3):387–394. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1973.107.3.387. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Festenstein G. N., Lacey J., Skinner F. A., Jenkins P. A., Pepys J. Self-heating of hay and grain in Dewar flasks and the development of farmer's lung antigens. J Gen Microbiol. 1965 Dec;41(3):389–407. doi: 10.1099/00221287-41-3-389. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. GREGORY P. H., LACEY M. E. Mycological examination of dust from mouldy hay associated with farmer's lung disease. J Gen Microbiol. 1963 Jan;30:75–88. doi: 10.1099/00221287-30-1-75. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Jackson E., Welch K. M. Mushroom worker's lung. Thorax. 1970 Jan;25(1):25–30. doi: 10.1136/thx.25.1.25. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Johnson W. M., Kleyn J. G. Respiratory disease in a mushroom worker. J Occup Med. 1981 Jan;23(1):49–51. doi: 10.1097/00043764-198101000-00019. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Lacey J. Letter: Allergy in mushroom workers. Lancet. 1974 Mar 2;1(7853):366–366. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(74)93133-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Lockey S. D., Sr Mushroom workers' pneumonitis. Ann Allergy. 1974 Nov;33(5):282–288. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. PEPYS J., JENKINS P. A., FESTENSTEIN G. N., GREGORY P. H., LACEY M. E., SKINNER F. A. FARMER'S LUNG. THERMOPHILIC ACTINOMYCETES AS A SOURCE OF "FARMER'S LUNG HAY" ANTIGEN. Lancet. 1963 Sep 21;2(7308):607–611. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(63)90398-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Sakula A. Mushroom-worker's lung. Br Med J. 1967 Sep 16;3(5567):708–710. doi: 10.1136/bmj.3.5567.708. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Stewart C. J. Mushroom worker's lung--two outbreaks. Thorax. 1974 Mar;29(2):252–257. doi: 10.1136/thx.29.2.252. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Stewart C. J., Pickering C. A. Letter: Mushroom worker's lung. Lancet. 1974 Feb 23;1(7852):317–317. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(74)92630-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Applied and Environmental Microbiology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES