INDUCTION OF DEPRESSION BY EXPOSURE TO DAMP ...

Komulainen, 2002; Huttunen et al., 2003). Exposure of this cell line to fungal spores of
indoor-associated genera, such as Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Stachybotrys, induces the
production of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-α (Murtoniemi et al.,
2003; Huttunen et al., 2003). Studies show that bacteria have an even higher
inflammatory potential than fungi, with actinomycetes being the most reactive (Huttunen
et al., 2003; Jussila and Komulainen, 2002; Jussila et al., 2002; Jussila J. et al., 2001;
Hirvonen et al., 2005).
Many in vivo experiments include either aspiration or instillation of fungal spores
or extracts from the spores in either the trachea or nasal passages. In most studies, the
bronchial alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was analyzed either for immune cell presence or
levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Studies did show an appreciable inflammatory
effect on pulmonary tissue (Viana et al., 2002; Flemming et al., 2004; Chung et al., 2005;
Chung et al., 2007).
Going beyond animal models, several surveys have been completed that measured
antibody levels in serum of healthy control individuals and those that were exposed to
moldy environments. One such study compared the antibody levels of three cohorts: 500
patients exposed to moldy indoor environments who had reported neurological and other
symptoms, 500 healthy control subjects, and 500 random blood samples of patients
whose blood had been sampled for reasons other than mold exposure (Vojdani et al.,
2003B). Approximately sixty of the exposure buildings were verified by environmental
engineers and found to have elevated levels of fungal growth. The patients lived in these
environments for periods from two weeks to two years. Their findings indicated a
significant difference in elevated IgG, IgM, and IgA antibodies to antigens from
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