Species Directory

Histoplasma capsulatum causes an estimated 500,000 infections per year in the U.S., most of which go undiagnosed. Found in bat and bird droppings in the Ohio and Mississippi valleys, it causes everything from silent infection to life-threatening disease in immunocompromised patients.

Botrytis cinerea is simultaneously the most economically damaging plant pathogen globally and the producer of noble rot in Sauternes. Learn its biology, why it has evolved resistance to virtually all fungicides, and its human health significance.

Aureobasidium pullulans is the melanized, stress-tolerant organism responsible for black staining on window caulking and bathroom surfaces. It also produces pullulan, a commercially important biopolymer. Learn its biology, ecology, and health significance.

Ulocladium is a water-damage indicator species classified alongside Stachybotrys in the EPA's ERMI panel. Learn its morphology, why it requires sustained moisture to grow indoors, and what its presence means in a mold test.

Trichoderma is famous as an agricultural biocontrol agent but is also an indoor contaminant in water-damaged buildings and an opportunistic pathogen in immunocompromised patients. Learn its ecology, industrial uses, and health significance.

Chaetomium is a water-damage indicator mold whose presence in a building signals prolonged moisture intrusion. Learn its distinctive morphology, why it is classified alongside Stachybotrys as a serious indicator species, and its mycotoxin production.

Mucor and related mucormycetes cause mucormycosis — a rapidly invasive, often fatal fungal infection in immunocompromised patients. Learn the biology, clinical forms, why it surged during COVID-19, and how it differs from aspergillosis.

Fusarium is a genus with wide-ranging significance — causing crop diseases, producing regulated mycotoxins in grain, and causing life-threatening infections in immunocompromised patients. Learn its biology, health risks, and food safety implications.

Alternaria alternata is the dominant outdoor allergenic mold in temperate regions and a leading trigger of severe asthma. Learn its seasonal patterns, why it causes such serious respiratory disease, and how sensitized patients can reduce exposure.