Characteristics of mold allergy.

The sensitization of three common species of molds (C. herbarum, A. alternaria, A. fumigatus) and other common inhalation allergens was studied by SPT (skin prick testing) and RAST in 677 asthmatic patients. Ten percent of patients had an SPT with a mean diameter of at least 2 mm, and 5% had a positive RAST (>0.35 PRU/l) to at least one mold species. A positive RAST was most strongly associated with a positive RAST to animals (odds ratio 9.5) and less positively with a positive RAST to house dust mites (odds ratio 3.9) and storage mites (odds ratio 1.8). Sensitization to mites was significantly associated with indices of damp dwellings, whereas sensitization to molds was not. This study suggests that sensitization to molds mostly occurs in patients with a high potential for being sensitized to common inhalation allergens and that sensitization to molds is not related to damp dwellings.