Last Updated: 2003-07-21 15:52:22 -0400 (Reuters Health)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - High fungus levels in the home can cause breathing problems, even pneumonia, for infants, new research suggests.

Dampness in the basement or other rooms is known to cause breathing problems for children and young adults. The new findings suggest that this may be due to the presence of fungi, which thrive in damp locations. However, the results also indicate that fungi can be a problem even when the entire house is dry.

In a study of 499 children with at least one allergic parent, Dr. Diane R. Gold, from Harvard University in Boston, and colleagues evaluated the effect of domestic fungal levels on breathing problems in the first year of life.

The researchers' findings are reported in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

After considering other factors such as house dampness and visible mold or mildew, the authors found that exposure to high levels of fungi made breathing problems much more likely for infants. For example, infants who lived in homes with high levels of one type of fungi--Zygomycetes--were nearly twice as likely to develop problems as other infants.

To determine whether a home is likely to cause breathing problems for an infant, the authors recommend not only looking for wet spots and mold, but also measuring fungi levels.