Asthma patients have garden mould growing in lungs

LONDON - A common garden mould that causes an allergic reaction in asthmatics actually grows in many patients’ lungs.

The discovery was made during research into the impact of the mould Aspergillus fumigates on asthmatics. The fungi is usually found in soil and compost heaps.

Andy Wardlaw of the University of Leicester, who led the research said: “Asthma is a very common condition where the breathing tubes (bronchi) can go into spasm - making it difficult to breathe,” reports the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

“We found that about half of people with severe asthma have evidence of allergy to moulds like Aspergillus fumigates,” the Daily Mail quoted Wardlaw as saying.

“We also found that if you were allergic to the mould, you had more narrowing of the airways than if you were not allergic, and this was worse in patients from whom A. fumigatus was grown.

“Our research concluded that it is possible that fixed narrowing of breathing tubes in many people with asthma could be caused by A. fumigatus growing in their lungs,” Wardlaw said.