Mold Hyphal Fragments - are Hyphae a Sign of Mold Contamination in buildings?

Definition & significance of fungal or hyphal fragments in mold test samples: what does a report of hyphal fragments or mold hyphae in a dust or air sample mean for building occupants & the level of mold contamination?
- How to Estimate the Age of Mold Contamination in buildings
- Evidence of Mold History in buildings
- Evidence of Mold Age in Laboratory Samples
Questions & answers about the identification & significance of various fungal or mold hyphal fragments found in building tests and samples of mold contamination
References

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This article defines mold hyphae or hyphal fragments and then discusses the significance of hyphal fragments as an indicator of mold contamination in a building and how we can find evidence suggesting that a given mold contamination case is new, old, or includes both old and new fungal growth.

Readers should see MOLD AGE - Old is the Mold? and also MOLD GROWTH on SURFACES for an index of what mold genera/species are frequently found on various building surfaces and materials.

What Does the Presence of Hyphal Fragments Signify in a Mold Test Sample

Useful Lay-person Definitions of Hyphae and Fungal Hyphal Fragments

The Dictionary of the Fungi defines hyphae as

hypha (pl. hyphae), one of the filaments of a mycelium;

At MOLD ATLAS & PARTICLES INDEX we offer our own longer definition of fungal hyphae or hyphal fragments found in mold samples and mentioned in mold lab reports:

Hyphal fragments or mycelia are components of fungal growth (similar to the roots and branches of a tree); it is common to find small hyphal fragments in outdoor air and possibly in indoor dust.

But their presence in indoor air samples, if in quantity or in large segments, suggests an active fungal colony in the building. Their presence in a surface sample in quantity or in large segments indicates that active fungal growth is present or nearby, or that fungal material has been disturbed in the building. May be allergenic. -DF

Hyphal fragments might be just one or two little bits or a rats nest of growing mycelia (as we show at page top).

Hyphal fragments or hyphae may be colored (brown for example shown at the top of this page and just above) or colorless as in our photograph below (mycologists report colorless spores or hyphae as hyaline - just in case your report is not written in plain english).

Of course this means we need another definition right away.

Mycelia: a mass of hyphae; the thallus of a fungus, this is the vegetative body portion of the organism, akin to the "root" structure of a plant, used to absorb nutrients.

Mycelia would not easily be visually identifiable as belonging to a specific species unless other components of the fungus are present. Particles of this material are probably allergenic. - DF; derived from op cit.

Mycelial cord, a discrete filamentous aggregation of hyphae which, in contrast to a rhizomorph, has no apical meristem; syrrota; - op cit.

What is the Biological Job of a Mycelium or of Hyphae?

From a lay person's view, it's reasonable to think of hyphal fragments as little pieces of plant stems or roots - except in this case the organism is not a tree or bush, but a fungal structure - mold.

When you see a mushroom sprouting in the forest, that's the fruiting body of what can be a very large, but hidden root structure underground - a mycelium. From the fungi's point of view, the mycelium is the "stomach" of the organism.

A mycelium exudes chemicals that help dissolve food that it is contacting, such as a leaf, or a piece of wood or paper. Nutrients are dissolved and transported into the mycelial structure.

A mycelium grows, that is, gets bigger, from the tips of individual hyphae.

What is the Significance of Hyphal Fragments Reported in a Mold Lab Test Report?

It is normal to find a few hyphal fragments in outdoor air and thus also in indoor air. At high levels or in some circumstances, these particles might tell us something more about the building in which they were detected. But if just a few such particles are reported in a mold lab report, they are most likely insignificant.

In some fungi hyphal fragments may be allergenic or may even contain mycotoxins. (In our terminology, fungal material may be harmless-cosmetic, allergenic, toxic, or pathogenic, depending on the genera/species and on its growth conditions.)

But the hyphal fragments or pieces found in air or dust samples are usually quite large and not likely to be inhaled deeply into the lungs. So mold hyphal fragments are less of an airborne risk to building occupants than say a high level of airborne toxic or allergenic mold spores such as Aspergillus sp.

We report hyphal fragments in air or dust samples (where it is common to find at least some) for these reasons:

a high level of hyphal fragments can mean a high level of allergenic particles
a high level of hyphal fragments is often corroboration of active nearby fungal growth (though absence of them does not affirm absence of fungal growth)

Does the Presence of Hyphal Fragments Indoors Threaten New Mold Growth?

While some hyphal fragments might, if conditions were ripe, begin growing and eventually also lead to mold spore production, that's not really a critical focus. In our opinion, if conditions are ripe to grow mold, you'll get mold growing whether there were previously some hyphal fragments there or not.

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Technical Reviewers & References

Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.

"Dictionary of the Fungi," 9^th Ed., Kirk, Cannon, David, and Stalpers.

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Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.

The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume. Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.

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Building inspection education & report writing systems from Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd

Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, have provided us with (and we recommend) Carson Dunlop Weldon & Associates' Technical Reference Guide to manufacturer's model and serial number information for heating and cooling equipment
Special Offer: Carson Dunlop Associates offers InspectAPedia readers in the U.S.A. a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Technical Reference Guide purchased as a single order. Just enter INSPECTATRG in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
Environmental Health & Investigation Bibliography - our technical library on indoor air quality inspection, testing, laboratory procedures, forensic microscopy, etc.
Adkins and Adkins Dictionary of Roman Religion discusses Robigus, the Roman god of crop protection and the legendary progenitor of wheat rust fungus.
Kansas State University, department of plant pathology, extension plant pathology web page on wheat rust fungus: see http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/path-ext/factSheets/Wheat/Wheat%20Leaf%20Rust.asp
"A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home", U.S. Environmental Protection Agency US EPA - includes basic advice for building owners, occupants, and mold cleanup operations. See http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldguide.htm
US EPA - Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Building [Copy on file at /sickhouse/EPA_Mold_Remediation_in_Schools.pdf ] - US EPA
US EPA - Una Breva Guia a Moho - Hongo [Copy on file as /sickhouse/EPA_Moho_Guia_sp.pdf - en Espanol
"A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home", U.S. Environmental Protection Agency US EPA - includes basic advice for building owners, occupants, and mold cleanup operations. See http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldguide.htm
"Disease Prevention Program for Certain Vegetable Crops," David B. Langston, Jr., Extension Plant Pathologist - Vegetables, University of Georgia (PDF document) original source: www.reeis.usda.gov/web/crisprojectpages/209797.html
"Disease Prevention in Home Vegetable Gardens," Patricia Donald, Department of Plant Microbiology and Pathology, Lewis Jett
Department of Horticulture, University of Missouri Extension - extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=G6202
"Management of Powdery Mildew, Leveillula taurica, in Greenhouse Peppers," Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, British Columbia - Original source: www.agf.gov.bc.ca/cropprot/peppermildew.htm
Fifth Kingdom, Bryce Kendrick, ISBN13: 9781585100224, is available from the InspectAPedia online bookstore - we recommend the CD-ROM version of this book. This 3rd/edition is a compact but comprehensive encyclopedia of all things mycological. Every aspect of the fungi, from aflatoxin to zppspores, with an accessible blend of verve and wit. The 24 chapters are filled with up-to-date information of classification, yeast, lichens, spore dispersal, allergies, ecology, genetics, plant pathology, predatory fungi, biological control, mutualistic symbioses with animals and plants, fungi as food, food spoilage and mycotoxins.
Fungi, Identifying Filamentous, A Clinical Laboratory Handbook, Guy St-
US EPA: Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Building [Copy on file at /sickhouse/EPA_Mold_Remediation_in_Schools.pdf ] - US EPA
Mycology, Fundamentals of Diagnostic, Fran Fisher, Norma B. Cook, W.B. Saunders Co. 1998, ISBN 0-7216-5006-6 (buy this book at Amazon)
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