Table 1.
Prevalence of fungal sensitisation in people with asthma from cohort studies that have included, at minimum, Aspergillus or Penicillium and Alternaria or Cladosporium.
| Location | No | Age, yearsa | Disease severityb | Sensitised to ≥ fungus, % | Sensitised to Asp or Pen, % | Commonest allergen | Fungal panel tested | Test(s) used | Study |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leicester, UK | 138 | 5–17 | 61% mild–moderate, 39% severe | 46 | 35.50 | Alt | Alt, Asp, Can, Clad, Pen | SPT and sIgE | [49] |
| Aachen, Germany | 207 | 1–17 | 25% mild, 31% moderate, 44% severe | ≥ 17.2c | ≥ 11.3d | Alt | Alt, Asp, Clad, Pen | sIgE | [50] |
| New York, NY, USA | 64 | 2–21 | 50% moderate, 50% severe | 39 | 33d | Asp | Alt, Asp, Can, Clad, Muc, Pen, Seto | RAST | [51] |
| London, UK | 82 | 4–17 | All severe | 46 | – | – | Alt, Asp, Clad | SPT and sIgE | [83] |
| Pirkanmaa District, Finland | 485 | 43 | Newly diagnosed adult-onset | 7.40 | 5.4d | Asp | Asp, Clad, Muc, Pen, Pleo, Stac | sIgE | [55] |
| Norrbotten, Sweden | 830 | 59 | 94% mild–moderate, 6% severe | 3 | 2.5d | Asp | Alt, Asp, Clad | sIgE | [56] |
| Beijing, China | 100 | 56 | 52% mild, 24% moderate, 24% severe | 16 | ≥ 10 d | Pen | Alt, Asp, Can, Clad, Pen | sIgE | [52] |
| Tokyo, Japan | 160 | 59 | 25% mild, 39% moderate, 36% severe | ≥ 47.5 c | 36.90 | Can | Alt, Asp, Can, Clad, Muc, Pen, Tri | sIgE | [53] |
| Houston, TX, USA | 307 | 49 | 15% mild, 18% moderate, 67% severe | 17 | ≥ 8d | Alt | Alt, Asp, Clad, Muc, Pen, Stem | sIgE | [84] |
| Leicester, UK | 431 | 51 | 9% mild, 91% moderate–severe | 76.3e | 59.10 e | Asp | Alt, Asp, Can, Clad, Pen | SPT and sIgE | [29] |
| Leicester, UK | 126 | 57 | 6% moderate, 94% severe | 48 | 41 | Asp | Alt, Asp, Bot, Clad, Pen | SPT and sIgE | [64] |
| Tokyo, Japan | 124 | 61 | All severe | 29 | 11d | Can | Alt, Asp, Can, Clad, Pen, Tri | sIgE | [54] |
| Manchester, UK | 121 | 49 | All severe | 66 | ≥ 45d | Asp | Alt, Asp, Bot, Can, Clad, Pen, Tri | SPT and sIgE | [57] |
The table has been separated into paediatric and adult studies then sorted by the proportion of the cohort with severe disease
Alt: Alternaria alternata, Asp: Aspergillus fumigatus, Bot: Botrytis cinerea, Can Candida albicans, Clad Cladosporium herbarum, Muc Mucor racemosus, Pen Penicillium chrysogenum, Pleo: Pleospora bjoerlingii, Seto: Setomelanomma holmii, Stac: Stachybotrys chartarum, Stem: Stemphylium vesicarium, Tri: Trichophyton rubrum, SPT: skin prick test, sIgE: specific Immunoglobulin E
aAge is given as range for paediatric studies and mean for adult
bSeverity based on either original authors description or GINA classification (1/2 mild, 3 moderate, 4–5 severe)
cBased on number sensitised to most common fungal allergen
dBased on number sensitised to most common between Aspergillus or Penicillium
eCohort enriched for fungal sensitised individuals
fThe names given here are the currently accepted names for the fungi tested. Some studies only mentioned the fungal genus; however, most named the species and the species were consistently those listed here, although some used older, now obsolete names