“Dangerous” fungus lurking in dishwashers
Baku, June 23 (AZERTAC). Once rarely found in nature, the potentially deadly black yeast fungi have begun to expand their territory. And the new frontier could be your kitchen.
A team of European scientists sampled nearly 190 dishwashers in family homes around the world. They found black yeasts living on 62 percent of the rubber seals surrounding the dishwasher door.
The study appears in the journal Fungal Biology.
Tests at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, found that 62% of the dishwashers contained fungi on the rubber door seal and 56% were contaminated with two species of black yeasts. These are known to cause systemic disease in humans and frequently colonise the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis. They also occasionally cause fatal infections in healthy humans.
The authors say that both species of black yeasts show a remarkable tolerance to temperatures of between 60° to 80°C intermittently reached in dishwashers, as well as powerful detergents, high concentrations of salt and either acid or alkaline water.
They say that the discovery of this widespread presence of extremophilic fungi in some of our common household appliances suggests that these organisms have embarked on an extraordinary evolutionary process.
The high heat, harsh detergents and humidity provided by dishwashers, coffee machines and washing machines provide just the right touch of comfort for these deadly fungi.
“The discovery of this widespread presence of extremophilic fungi in some of our common household appliances suggests that these organisms have embarked on an extraordinary evolutionary process that could pose a significant risk to human health in the future,” said the authors.
According to the researchers, the fungi are especially partial to the lungs, so people with cystic fibrosis are most at risk.
One of the authors, Nina Gunde-Cimerman, a microbiologist at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia, told The Daily Telegraph one thing not mentioned in the report was that “we tested the dishes after they had been cleaned in these dishwashers and they were full of this black yeast, so too the cutlery that you put in your mouth. We just don`t know how serious this could be.”
Writing in the Mycological Society journal, Fungal Biology, researchers say modern living is accompanied by a range of appliances such as dishwashers, washing machines and coffee makers that share the characteristics of moist, hot environments.
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