Tirppenhuis,the Royal Academy Amsterdam, the Netherlands, November 14-15, 2008. Presenting at the symposium “Fungi and Health” indoor environmental scientists investigating for allergenic, toxic and infectious fungi and moulds presented a protocol for indoor environmental investigations involving fungi.

Researchers have long been in disagreement how best to assess the health risk fungi pose to humans within their habitations and have been long wanting a systematic approach for this type of investigation and ideally a protocol that provides a means to that end especially of value to medical doctors and clinicians.

Such a protocol (SC-3) has been developed by medical mycologist and researcher Prof Joseph Dumanov as a result of hundreds of medical research case studies over a 10 year period and was introduced in 2008 at Aspergillosis 3rd in Miami, Florida USA, (Jan.), European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (SERIN) in Dubrovnik, Croatia, (Nov) and Amsterdam, at the Royal Academy Amsterdam, the Netherlands (Nov) to the medical community by medical researchers including medical mycologists, pathologists and allergologists MJ Dumanov (Mycological Institute) and fellow Academy research associates M. Rudenko, I. Markin, A. Shemshur, D Hooper, et al.

Dumanov said "We had the pleasure of meeting with Hamid Badali, an alumni working in molecular mycology in genomics (CBS, Utrecht) known for his research work with dimorphic black yeasts and fungi of clinical relevancy of increasing importance. His research is of increasing importance in the understanding of this fungi in many of the host conditions where the etiology is currently unknown or where the pathogens not fully recognized."

Medical mycologists have increased the reporting of these black yeasts and fungi and were recently seen and reported in a casse in the US by medical mycologists and pathologists Dumanov and Rudenko reporting the genus Cladophiaphora (bantiana) in a case involving a 65 y.o. male in Little Silver, New Jersey in 2005  with a three time reoccurring infection of the brain by this fungi. Since 2005 numerous reports worldwide  have identified the black fungi as causative agent in many different cases of infection where the agent were previously unknown.

Dumanov attending and presenting the SC-3 protocol at this symposium stated "This was truly a marvelous event for mycologists in general including for mycologists dedicated to work in agriculture, food processing, biosecurity sectors and especially for medical mycologists. We are all very pleased to have accepted the invitation to present and introduce our protocol that is proving to be of increasingly of value to clinicians that has been under development for many years with our research associates. The program presented some of the most advanced research especially in the area of human health relating to fungi. A fine tribute to the Academy and it founders. We all walked away from this symposium learning something importantly new and clearly this symposium stood out  at the top for this medical mycologist and many other medical researchers that were attended in the past year."

The Fungal Biodiversity Centre organized the symposium “Fungi and Health” on the 13–14 November 2008 at the Trippenhuis in Amsterdam The aim of this symposium was to highlight the important role that microbes play in the environment, touching many aspects of our lives, from industry, to health and agriculture. The symposium consisted of six sessions covering Fungi and Human Health, Food Safety, Living in Healthy Environments, Culture Collections, DNA Barcoding and Biosecurity, Yeasts and Health, and Fungi and Healthy Plants. A total of 150 participants from 18 different countries attended the symposium.

Program and abstracts from "Fungi and Health"

Photos from the symposium “Fungi and Health” hosted at the Royal Dutch Academy for Arts and Sciences (13-14 Nov. 2008).

For medical doctors and  health investigators wishing  details of the SC-3 protocol contact the institute at: