MycoTOX Profile

Mosaic Diagnostics offers written interpretations within test reports and complimentary consultations with our clinical educators for qualified practitioners. To schedule a consultation, simply sign in to your MosaicDX account and book a consultation online. 

We encourage all patients to discuss results with your practitioner.

Our Resources tab also contains educational materials that you may find useful, we also offer MosaicEDGE workshops for qualified practitioners to better understand the fundamentals of lab testing.

Application of the creatinine correction is a technique to reduce excessive variation in urine test results due to differences in fluid intake prior to collection of urine samples. Dividing the amount of a substance in urine by creatinine corrects for cases in which the patient may be dehydrated or excessively hydrated. In the case of dehydration, failure to perform creatinine correction might indicate that the person has toxic levels of mycotoxins when, in fact, the values are high just due to dehydration. With creatinine correction, such an error is avoided.

Mycotoxins are low molecular weight, secondary metabolites of fungal (mold) compounds which are increasingly recognized as a global health threat given their role in precipitating both acute and chronic adverse health outcomes.

• Common fungi sources of mycotoxins include species such as Fusarium, Aspergillus, Penicillium, Alternaria, and Claviceps. To date nearly 400 potentially toxic mycotoxins produced by more than 100 fungi species have been identified, although research has focused on the most toxigenic in the public health, veterinary, and agricultural realms.
• Exposure to mycotoxins may occur through a variety of routes such as inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact from airborne mold spores, food contamination, and water-damaged building environments.
• Susceptibility to mycotoxins is influenced by a patient’s age, sex, presence of other underlying diseases and/or exposures, nutritional status, and length of exposure.
• While mycotoxin toxicity may present as an acute state marked by rapid onset with potential life-threatening illness, most of the negative health impacts observed in the developed (Western) world are due to chronic, low-dose exposures. These long-term exposures have been associated with a variety of systemic effects (mycotoxicoses) in both humans and animals – and most commonly manifest as nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, immunosuppression, carcinogenicity, and teratogenicity.

Mycotoxins are toxic metabolites produced by certain types of molds – microscopic filamentous fungi that are pervasive in both outdoor and indoor environments. Common routes of exposure to these low-molecular weight compounds include inhalation, dermal contact, and ingestion via common contaminated food sources (corn, cereals, ground and tree nuts, spices, dried fruits, apples, coffee, meat, milk, and eggs).

Attention is increasingly being given to indoor air pollution resulting not only from the influx of irritant agents (spores, pollens) from the outdoor environment, but also from the growth of molds, fungi and bacteria on almost all indoor materials (drywall, paint, wallpaper, carpeting, etc.) when excessive moisture is present in high humidity geographic areas or water-damaged buildings. The growth of these biological agents in damp environments leads to the production of spores, cells, fragments and volatile organic compounds which have been linked to a wide range of health hazards, including exacerbation of asthma as well as allergic and infectious respiratory diseases infections.

Adverse health effects may be acute or chronic in nature, and the degree of impact can vary depending on the age, sex, genetics, and underlying health status of the exposed individual, as well as the duration and dose magnitude of the offending substance and their synergistic effects with other mycotoxins.

Because mycotoxins are byproducts of mold metabolism, clinicians assessing symptomatic patients with known mold exposure – or with an environmental history concerning for mold exposure – will also need to consider the concomitant presence of mycotoxins and their potential negative health impact as well.

Acute mycotoxin effects are characterized by rapid onset and toxic response in the target organ most affected by the offending agent.

As an example, consumption of large doses of aflatoxins can result in life-threatening, acute poisoning (aflatoxicosis) due to detrimental impact on the liver.

Acute mycotoxin effects are more frequently observed in economically poorer global areas where sub-optimal food cultivation, harvesting, and storage practices are common; malnutrition is a constant presence; and a poor regulatory environment exists.

Chronic mycotoxin effects are characterized by lower exposure doses over longer periods of time – and symptoms attributed to chronic mycotoxin exposure are wide-ranging in their impact on an array of physiologic systems and functions.

MosaicDX offers pediatric collection bags with adhesive tape for pediatric patients who have not been toilet trained. These bags can be used to collect urine from infants or young children. To request pediatric collection bags, please contact our Customer Service team. 

Molds thrive in warm, damp, and humid conditions, and exposure to mold-rich environments may result in a variety of health effects ranging from mild to severe depending on an individual’s sensitivity or underlying allergy to mold.

Given their ubiquitous presence, testing should be considered in anyone with signs and/or symptoms of mold exposure – or an environmental history for a known current or past exposure to mold.

Individuals at highest risk for health problems when exposed to mold include those with:

• Underlying immune system dysfunction (history of atopy, immune suppression, or immunodeficiency)
• Underlying chronic lung disease
• Infants, young children, and the elderly
• Workers employed in jobs that result in high and ongoing levels of exposure (farm/dairy workers, lumber/wood workers, winemakers).

As expected with the clinical standard of care, results from any diagnostic test – including those of the MycoTOX profile – should always be considered within the context of each patient’s unique history and clinical presentation. Given that, the information provided on potential therapeutic support for patients with mycotoxin exposure is provided for educational purposes only.

In general, practitioners working with patients with mold and/or mycotoxin exposure focus on three key clinical areas:

• Addressing Mycotoxin Exposure
• Supporting the Foundations of Health
• Judicious Use of Supplements and/or Pharmaceuticals

Address Mycotoxin Exposure

First-Line Remediation/Defense: Removal/Avoidance of the Offending Agent

The first line of defense against mycotoxin exposure – as with any toxin or toxicant – is identification and remediation of the source of exposure with the goal of preventive exposure strategies going forward.

Support the Foundations of Health

Focus on Critical Lifestyle and Physiologic Elimination Functions

Optimize Elimination

• Gut Function
  • Support phase 1 and 2 liver detoxification
  • Provide treatments aimed at abnormalities in gut microflora and functioning; probiotics, treating infections and avoiding food allergens.
• Hydration
  • Support elimination/excretion via the kidney
• Sweating (movement, saunas, etc.)
  • Support elimination/excretion via dermal routes

Optimize Nutrition

• Focus on a whole foods diet to maximize fiber and nutrient density

Judicious Use of Supplements and/or Pharmaceuticals

Personalization of the therapeutic journey is key as each patient’s presentation and history is unique.

Clinicians working with patients with mycotoxin exposure and/or symptoms may consider working with the following:

• Foundational support
  • Multivitamin/mineral, probiotic (acidophilus + bifidus strains), antioxidants, and essential fatty acids
• Detoxification support
  • NAC, glutathione
• Binders
• Anti-fungals
  • These pharmaceuticals should be assessed for use on a clinical case-by-case basis ONLY given challenges related to their potential, significant side-effects.

The MycoTOX profile is designed to accurately detect mycotoxins produced by various toxic molds. However, it does not indicate the location or source of the mold, whether it is in your home, workplace, or elsewhere. Mycotoxin exposure can come from both dietary and environmental sources. Spoiled food is a dietary source, while living or working in water-damaged buildings, airborne or physical contact with outdoor molds, and airborne dust in buildings containing mold spores are environmental sources. 

Currently, there are no established guidelines for retesting mycotoxins after intervention. However, some healthcare providers recommend retesting at 3-6 months, 12 months, and annually as part of a wellness screen. Individuals with severe mold and mycotoxin-related illnesses may require more frequent testing. 

Please refer to your test’s specific Test Preparation and Instructions for more information regarding the potential effects of medications, foods, and supplements on this test. 

You make also consult your healthcare provider prior to making any changes to your medications.

Measuring mold allergen specific IgE levels may help predict an individual’s acute immune response to molds in their environment which can range from mild to severe. MosaicDX’s IgE Mold Allergy Test assesses 13 mold allergens, including several that commonly cause symptoms.

Individuals with chronic exposure to molds may exhibit symptoms that are not a result of an acute response to the mold, but rather to their mycotoxins – toxic, secondary metabolites that are produced by molds in the environment. The MycoTOX profile is a urine-based assay that assesses levels of 21 different mycotoxins, including metabolites of the most toxigenic classes: Aflatoxins, Ochratoxins, Zearalenones, and Trichothecenes.

Because it’s possible to have an allergenic reactivity to a mold species whose mycotoxin excretion is not included in the MycoTOX profile – or for an individual to have exposure to a mycotoxin producing mold not included in the IgE Mold Allergy Test – combining both the IgE Mold Allergy and MycoTOX Profile tests can provide a more complete assessment of an individual’s mold exposure.

Treatment is different for mold IgE allergy vs. mycotoxin toxic burden responses, identifying the type of response aids in treatment decision-making.

The IgE Mold Allergy Test is a serum profile that provides insight into the presence of mold allergens, while the MycoTOX Profile is a urine assay that assesses the levels of mycotoxins – low molecular weight, secondary metabolites of molds – excreted from the body.

These complementary profiles each provide a unique lens to assess potential mold-related illness in symptomatic individuals or those with known mold exposure and treatment.

• Patients who do not have mold IgE allergies may still have mycotoxin burden.
• Patients with positive mold IgE test results are more likely to have been exposed to mycotoxins.
• IgE levels may indicate reactivity to mold species whose mycotoxin products were not excreted at the time of the mycotoxin test or are not among the mycotoxins included in the MycoTOX Profile.

Patients with high toxic levels are at greater risk of concomitant exposure from all toxins. For patients with specific exposure history, practitioners can order individual panels or combine profiles to identify or more rapidly reduce or remove multiple sources of toxin exposure:

These test can all be done from one urine sample:

• Glyphosate
• TOXDetect Profile
• Heavy Metals
• MycoTOX