Distribution
Cosmopolitan.
Recovered from a wide range of ecological niches. Approx. 700 genera.
Where Found
Saprophytic or parasitic on higher plants, other fungi, lichens, vertebrates.
Mode of Dissemination
Conidial masses may be dry or slimy.
Spread by insects, water splash, wind.
Growth Indoors
Yes, on many substrates, including ceiling tile, linoleum. May have little effect on the indoor air because in many genera the spores are not readily disseminated by air currents.
Industrial Uses
Not known.
Other Comments
These fungi are sometimes referred to as "pycnidial formers."
Allergens
Type I allergies (hay fever, asthma).
Crossreactivity is suspected between Phoma and Alternaria.
Potential Opportunist or Pathogen
Dependent on genus and species, but the vast majority do not cause disease.
Potential Toxin Production
Not known.
Growth/Culture Characterisics
Spores are formed in pycnidia or acervuli (asexual fruiting bodies). Spores often formed in sticky masses or exuded in mucoid droplets.
Spore Trap Recognition
Most are not easily recognizable on spore trap slides. A few (e.g. Pestalotia, Pestalotiopsis) are very distinctive.
Tape Lift Recognition
Identifiable on tape lifts if the fungus present is one of the distinctive coelomycetes or if the spores and entire fruiting body are present. Pycnidia, however, do not always lift well on tape sampling; masses of very small spores found within a mat of fungal mycelia is often indicative of the presence of a coelomycete.