Fungi and the microbiome finally got on my radar. Apologies to some, but there is a lot of different items on the microbiome radar screen.

“Small intestinal fungal overgrowth (SIFO)… Two recent studies showed that 26 % (24/94) and 25.3 % (38/150) of a series of patients with unexplained GI symptoms had SIFO. …. but evidence for eradication is lacking.”Small intestinal fungal overgrowth [2015]

As I did with taxa years ago, I will be writing a blog on each one reviewing the literature. If there is sufficient data at the end, I may add it as a feature to Microbiome Prescription.

• CDC provides a list of known fungal diseases: Types of Fungal Diseases.
• For the current list of Fungi reviewed on this list, click Information of Different Types Of Fungi

One of my reader’s results motivated this choice. The data from a Thorne Microbiome Test. About 8 out of 10 people have less of it. The person also has a Crohn’s diagnosis (with SIBO and IBS earlier).

Preventive for Fungi

The following are suggestions:

• Reduce and keep your living space humidity at 50% or lower (typically done by dehumidifiers). EPA recommends 30-50% [EPA]; we set our dehumidifiers for 35%.

Moisture parameters and fungal communities associated with gypsum drywall in buildings [2015]

• Use a HEPA filter appropriate to your space.
  Effectiveness of Airborne Fungi Removal by using a HEPA Air Purifier Fan in Houses [2018]
  Typically they are described as “Room Size: Up to 1500 sq.ft. maximum”. We are more aggressive and divide that by 4. For example we use 3 Austin Air HealthMate HEPA Air Purifier for our 900 sq.ft. living space.
• Check the north side of your building for mold. If found pressure wash it off and if possible, apply substances to inhibit them coming back.
• Check for mushrooms in lawns etc. If found, remove them and treat where you found them.

Remember, all fungi are not the same. Antibacterial and Antifungal Activities of Spices [2017] does not mention all fungi that I am reviewing. Additionally, some spices are known to have Fungal Contamination of some Common Spices [2022] and Fungi and aflatoxins associated with spices in the Sultanate of Oman [2002] which included cloves (often deem an antifungal).

Basic Information

Thorne only provided only order-level information unfortunately.

• CAUTION: Baby Bella and Button Mushrooms belong to this order. To prevent false positive for this order, refrain from any mushroom consumption for a week before the test.
• Agaricales contains about 30 families, about 350 genera, and some 10,000 species. [Britannica]
• General Information: Agaricaceae [Science Direct]
• The effects of dietary supplementation with Agaricales mushrooms and other medicinal fungi on breast cancer: Evidence-based medicine [2011]
• Pulmonary infection of Schizophyllum commune diagnosed by metagenomic next- generation sequencing: A case report [2023] “Fungal infection is common and difficult to be diagnosed timely in clinical, for its various kinds and similar manifestations.”
  • “The patient was treated with voriconazole and itraconazole successively.”

Bottom Line

Our ability to drill down further is limited because the results only report at the family level. Itraconazole, an antifungal that is the top choice for other fungi reviewed appears to work. This order-level fungi has a significant risk of misidentification because it also contains common mushrooms that are consumed.