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Systematic review of fungal exposure and hypersensitivity pneumonitis
A systematic review reported that Penicillium and Aspergillus were the fungi most frequently identified in cases of hypersensitivity pneumonitis, often in association with moisture-damaged buildings.
How to read this
This library reports what studies found. An entry describes a study's design, its findings in its own terms, and its limits. Nothing here is a claim about what a Sage Co. home does, delivers, or prevents.
Last reviewed August 30, 2026.
What they studied
- A PRISMA systematic review of published studies linking fungal exposure to hypersensitivity pneumonitis.
- Cases from residential, occupational, and HVAC-associated exposures.
- Reported fungal genera, exposure settings, and disease course.
What they found
- Penicillium and Aspergillus were reported as the genera most frequently associated with disease onset in the reviewed literature.
- Hypersensitivity pneumonitis was reported to account for a minority share of interstitial lung disease cases in the cited sources.
- The reviewed literature reported that the condition can progress to pulmonary fibrosis in some cases.
What this study does not establish
- Case-based literature; exposure characterization varies widely between reports.
- The review does not establish incidence in the general population.
- Association with a genus does not identify a causal agent or exposure threshold.
- This entry reports the study. It is not a statement about any building Sage Co. designs or constructs.
Source
Dias P, Matos C, Apolinario D (2021). The association between fungi exposure and hypersensitivity pneumonitis: a systematic review. Porto Biomedical Journal 6(1):e117.
hypersensitivity pneumonitisAspergillusPenicilliumsystematic review
Elsewhere under Moisture & Mold
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- Review of epidemiologic evidence on dampness, mold, and dampness-related agents
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- Review of actinobacteria in indoor environments and reported respiratory effects
- Culture and molecular methods compared for actinobacteria on water-damaged building material
- Inflammatory response in mice after instillation of Streptomyces spores from a moldy building
- Co-occurrence of bacterial and fungal secondary metabolites measured in moisture-damaged homes
- Chaetomium globosum prevalence in surveyed water-damaged buildings and metabolite production on building materials
- Metabolites of Wallemia sebi measured at water activity below common mold-growth thresholds
- Associations between fungal species and specific water-damaged building materials
- Review of Stachybotrys chartarum, trichothecene mycotoxins, and damp building–related illness
- Immune response measured after single versus repeated Stachybotrys lung exposures in mice
- Nasal and olfactory effects of satratoxin G measured in rhesus monkeys
- Olfactory neuron loss and inflammation measured in mice after intranasal satratoxin G
- Lung inflammation measured in mice exposed to Aspergillus versicolor spores from a moisture-damaged building
- Inflammatory gene expression measured in macrophages exposed to toxins from damp-building fungi
- Lung responses measured in mice exposed to purified toxins from building-isolated Penicillium species
- Human brain cell responses measured at satratoxin concentrations reported from water-damaged buildings
- Time-series and clinical-trial data reported on illness in water-damaged building occupants
- Review of proposed injury mechanisms from exposure to water-damaged buildings
- Neuropsychological and electrocortical measures compared between mold-exposed subjects and controls