ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the taxonomy, ecology, and habitat of allergenic fungi belonging to phyla Zygomycota, Ascomycota, and Basidiomycota. The isolation and characterization of the fungal allergens derived from allergenically important genera especially Alternaria, Cladosporium, Aspergillus, and Penicillium are described. The chapter illustrates how various techniques of molecular biology and protein chemistry are used to define allergenically important and cross-reactive IgE-binding epitopes, develop specific assays for allergen detection and quantitation, and delineate determinants involved in B- and T-cell recognition. The complexities and difficulties inherent with the study of fungi are discussed in relation to their clinical relevance in allergic disease and the utility of fungal allergen extracts in allergen immunotherapy, among them, the extensive allergenic cross-reactivity between orthologous proteins across fungal taxa and the lack of progress in fungal allergen extract standardization.
