Fungus among us causes LRIs.(Clinical Capsules lower respiratory illnesses)(Brief Article)

Infants exposed to high levels of fungus at home are at increased risk for lower respiratory illnesses such as croup, pneumonia, bronchitis, and bronchiolitis during their first year of life, said Paul C. Stark, Sc.D. of Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston, and his associates (Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 168[2]:232-37, 2003).

The researchers conducted home visits and took indoor air and dust samples from the bedroom floors of 419 children in the Boston area. Starting when the child was 2 months old, primary caregivers responded to interviews about LRIs at 2-month …