Associations between fungal species and specific water-damaged building materials
Andersen B, Frisvad JC, Søndergaard I, Rasmussen IS, Larsen LS (2011) · Applied and Environmental Microbiology 77(12):4180–4188
Analysis of more than 5,000 surface samples from water-damaged materials reported which fungal species were most common overall and which were associated with particular substrates.
What they studied
More than 5,300 surface samples taken from water-damaged building materials with visible fungal growth.
Identification of fungal species and the substrate each was recovered from.
Statistical analysis of species-to-material associations.
What they found
Penicillium chrysogenum and Aspergillus versicolor were reported as the most commonly recovered species overall.
Stachybotrys, Penicillium, and Acremonium species were reported in association with gypsum and wallpaper; Aspergillus fumigatus and Chaetomium with concrete and floor materials; Cladosporium and Trichoderma with wood.
The authors reported that species composition was predictable from the substrate in the sampled set.
What it does not establish
Surface sampling of visibly colonized materials; airborne exposure was not measured.
The sample set reflects buildings submitted for investigation, not a random housing sample.
No health outcomes were assessed.
This entry reports the study. It is not a statement about any building Sage Co. designs or constructs.
Source
- Andersen B, Frisvad JC, Søndergaard I, Rasmussen IS, Larsen LS (2011). Associations between fungal species and water-damaged building materials · Applied and Environmental Microbiology 77(12):4180–4188 · Read at the source
Last reviewed August 30, 2026.