A Syndrome Resembling Farmer's Lung in Workers Inhaling Spores of Aspergillus and Penicillia Moulds

Abstract

The effects of moulds on humans, and especially on the respiratory tract, have been of interest to many investigators (Virchow, 1856; Deve, 1938; Riddell, 1956; Wegmann, 1956; Clayton, 1958; Staib and Ata, 1958). Some moulds are pathogenic, but there are others, such as aspergilli, which can produce lung disease only in certain circumstances. There is still no agreement about their relationship to macro-organisms, but roughly four types of activity are recognized (Deve, 1938; Hinson, Moon, and Plummer, 1952; Frankland and Hamilton, 1958), namely: (1) Saprophytic.-Settling without any obvious reaction on the part of the host. (2) Allergic.-Most frequently manifested as bronchial asthma (Fawcitt, 1938; Tornell, 1946; Hinson et al., 1952; Fuller, 1953; Studdert, 1953; Frankland and Hamilton, 1958). (3) Production of proper fungous lung diseases. (4) Doubtful fungal aetiology: farmer's lung. We have investigated a group of subjects working for many years in environments containing great quantities of spores of aspergillus and penicillia, without any admixture of dust or other pathogenic organisms. From this investigation we tried to answer the following questions of general interest: