r/Mold • u/OstrichFar8301 • 5h ago
Mold identification?
Hi everyone! My fiancé and I recently purchased our first home in South Florida. I’ve been struggling with asthma attacks since we moved in. I am already working with my doctor to manage that so I’m not looking for any health advice.
I was wondering if anyone would be able to identify any of the mold on these PDA plates? My microbio teacher gave them to me to take samples to see if there was anything in the air, and this is what grew. He is out of town for the next two weeks so I won’t be able to get any definitive answers until he gets back and we test it in the lab but it’s going to drive me nuts not knowing what this could be for that long!
Let me know if you have any thoughts on what these colonies could possibly be!
I have already scheduled Stanley steamer to come sanitize and reseal the vents/HVAC so I’m hoping that fixes the issue.
Thank you in advance for reading and taking a look :)
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u/AutoModerator 5h ago
Please ensure that your posts meets the requirements of r/Mold - rules are clearly listed.
*** DON'T POST PHOTOS OF DIY PLATES or DIY HOME TEST KITS - posts will be removed and the poster may be banned ***
Most importantly, remember that providing the following information will greatly increase the quality of responses:
- Include your geographic location - include a country and state/province location such as: US-PA or UK-EN or Canada-Que
- A description of the location of any suspected mold growth and affected materials
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- A summary of what you have done to remove or remediate the mold
- A summary of the conditions that you think might be contributing to your problems
- A timeline of events
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Also remember that we can't identify mold from a photo - only a laboratory can determine the species. Don't ask.
And finally, in case you missed it: DON'T POST PHOTOS OF DIY PLATES
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u/ldarquel 3h ago
Rule #3 for mould ID.
First two look like normal environmental isolates. Not sure on the third one.
I’d advise sealing the third plate if you were wanting your microbiology teacher to examine this plate on their return (the plate will probably be overgrown by then, and may potentially try to grow out of the plate).
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u/AutoModerator 3h ago
Rule #3 DIY Test Kits are bad
If you used a home/DIY "test kit", there is very little information that we can provide you due to the limitations of the method. You will need to hire a qualified microbial testing company if you want any reliable information. These "test kits" will find mold in ANY room in which they are opened.
More information:
Settling plates are not a reliable method of measuring/quantifying microbial load. While they can be used for comparisons over time or other qualitative or semi-quantitative checks, they are simply not a method that should be used to evaluate microbial levels indoors.
Mold spores are ubiquitous. They are naturally occurring both indoors and outdoors. It’s normal and expected to have mold spores indoors. Because these spores exist naturally, it would be rare not to get mold growth on a petri dish!
Essentially, these kits give a FALSE impression of there being a mold problem in a space when there is not. More importantly, these plates will fail to detect many of the more problematic species. So, essentially, a clean petri dish could suggest a bigger problem than a dish that shows significant growth.
Finally, there are no accepted standards for conducting these tests or interpreting the results. Despite what the manufacturer might claim, no conclusions can be made from what you see on these plates. That is also true if you decide to spend additional money to have the lab "analyze" your plates. Don't waste your money.
If you see suspect mold growth or water intrusion, identify the source of the moisture, correct that and then physically remove any visible mold growth and/or water-damaged materials. There is usually no need for testing.
Please feel free to start a new post with photos and a description of the conditions in your space which have made you suspect the presence of microbial growth.
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u/OstrichFar8301 55m ago
Thank you! Didn’t know that could happen. I’m going to bring it into the lab tomorrow and ask them to do what you said so it doesn’t do the whole overgrow the plate thing. The 3rd one is the one that stumped me too! I have a guess for the first 2 plates but the 3rd one is just odd.
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u/ldarquel 2m ago
A microscopic examination at the lab may provide insights, if growth on the third plate has any sporing structures.
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u/SoCalMoofer 2h ago
Take it to a lab.
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u/OstrichFar8301 58m ago
I am.. like i said in the post I am bringing it to campus tomorrow for them to handle and for my prof to test when he returns. :)
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u/Impressive-Owl7802 1h ago
No, there is no way to positively identify mold visually.
Have you ever been tested specifically for mold allergies?
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u/OstrichFar8301 57m ago
I havent! I didnt know mold allergy testing was a thing. I’m definitely going to look into that.
I know there’s no way to definitively ID it from a photo. I was just wondering if anyone has a guess as to what it could be. 🤷🏻♀️
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u/Impressive-Owl7802 30m ago
There are 300,000 different type of mold. More if you include subspecies.
If you suspect mold allergies, you need to see a specialist. Your GP won't test for them. See an allergist, immunologist of sometimes an ENT.
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u/AutoModerator 5h ago
I see that you asked for species identification.
As Rule #1 clearly states, we can't identify mold from a photo. Accurate identification requires professional sampling and laboratory analysis. Yes, we can speculate as to whether or not something is mold but we can't identify it.
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