The MoldCo Starter Panel
If you’ve ordered the MoldCo Starter Panel, you’ve likely been suffering from chronic symptoms such as brain fog, fatigue, poor memory, hair loss, mood swings, unexplained changes in weight, and other mysterious ailments that have otherwise gone undiagnosed.
Our team knows how much these can take an immense physical, mental, and emotional toll, and we want to assure you that you’re not alone.
The MoldCo Starter Panel is a set of 3 blood tests, each measuring the level of a particular protein or peptide in your body called a ‘biomarker’. The 3 biomarkers included in the test are:
- Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone (MSH)
- Transforming Growth Factor Beta 1 (TGFβ1)
- Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9)
These blood biomarkers are strongly associated with how the body changes when it has been affected by Mold Toxicity, namely, an increase in inflammation due to an activated immune system, like an overheating engine; and the depletion of a hormone that’s vital to keeping the body balanced and healthy, leaving the body without a central communication tower.
This educational document is meant to provide a background on the concept of Mold Toxicity and the biomarkers included in this panel.
Mold Toxicity Biomarkers
The damaging effects of mold and biotoxins are reflected by the blood concentrations of specific hormones and cell signaling factors. Depending on the test, the portion of the blood analyzed is either the plasma or serum.
If these signals are abnormally high or low, further investigation may be advised, in which case we strongly recommend that you consult your healthcare providers.
Research in the field of mold and biotoxin illness, plus over 30 years of clinical practice has revealed the biomarkers that best signal the presence of Mold Toxicity, as we understand the illness today1–6.
Among these are three biological factors that orchestrate brain and hormonal function, and inflammation as a result of a hyper-activated immune system:
Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone (MSH)
A brain hormone that regulates key functions such as sleep, hunger, and stress response, and which is depleted by toxic mold exposure, triggering hormonal and neurotransmitter problems throughout the body.
Transforming Growth Factor Beta 1 (TGFβ1)
A dynamic “thermostat” that regulates the body’s immune response by initially producing anti-inflammatory effects to cool the rising heat of inflammation caused by toxic mold exposure.
Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9)
An enzyme that remodels the architectural design of tissues by breaking down cell walls and allowing inflammatory immune cells to travel to new locations, and which often remains elevated during chronic exposure to mold toxins.
What Is Mold Toxicity?
Mold releases particles called ‘spores’ and other products that act as toxins, called ‘mycotoxins’. Certain bacteria also release particles that cause the same harmful effects, together referred to as ‘biotoxins’ because they come from biological sources.
It’s important to know that the toxic effects of mycotoxins and other biotoxins are not due to active growth of mold in the body, which are called “colonizations” or “infections” and have a different treatment approach.
Toxicity — as defined by clinical and scientific experts in this space — occurs because mold and other biotoxins over-stimulate the body’s immune system, kick-starting a biological cascade marked by chronic inflammation that has far-reaching and damaging effects throughout the body. These experts have also shown that the biological mechanisms that would otherwise remove the offending toxins from the body, thereby halting the immune response and associated inflammation, are impaired. Therefore, the body remains in a perpetual state of stress and progressive damage to cells and tissues, causing long-lasting symptoms1,6,7.
Over the past 30 years, a new understanding of the harmful effects of breathing in mold toxins and biotoxins has emerged from noticing the worsening health of people who lived or worked in buildings that had experienced some water-damage. These appropriately named ‘water-damaged buildings’ (WDBs) account for as much as 50% of homes7.
The research of our team uncovered these biotoxins gave rise to a multi-symptom, multi-system disorder that affected key regulatory centers of the brain, hormonal pathways, control of metabolism, and dysregulation of the immune system leading to devastating symptoms that didn’t improve.
This phenomenon is termed Mold Toxicity.
The toxic effects put affected people at risk of developing more serious medical complications8,9. Originally termed sick-building syndrome (SBS) due to its association with water damaged buildings2,10–12, the clinical term was updated to Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS), reflecting a perpetual state of inflammation in the body that damages cells, tissues, organs, and pathways that keep the body well regulated.
Now diving deeper into the biomarkers included in the MoldCo Starter Panel:
Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone (MSH)
Melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH) is a key regulator of sleep, hunger and thirst, stress response, immunity, pain sensitivity, gut function, and other key processes that depend on maintaining a healthy balance of hormones, neurotransmitters, and other cell signaling molecules.
MSH acts as a wi-fi modem and router for the body, generating signals in the brain, and transmitting a signal over short distances to other brain regions, over long distances to far away organs, and everything in between.
One of MSH’s most important roles is to send the wifi signal to the body’s other regulatory centers that act like wireless devices that reduce inflammation by keeping the immune system in check.
Mold Toxicity leads to inflammation, which depletes MSH levels, weakening the wifi, thereby slowing the activity of cells, tissues, and organs, and taking some systems offline the longer it stays low.
Because MSH governs so many important functions in the body, low blood levels, i.e., below 35 pg/ml, can result in the wide ranging symptoms observed due to Mold Toxicity such as insomnia, brain fog, mood swings, and others.
Low blood serum levels of MSH are at the core of Mold Toxicity, driving the brain and hormone imbalances. When these levels are kept low for an extended period, a greater number and intensity of symptoms appear, keeping you feeling sick and increasingly impaired.
Blood sample analysis from over 500 Mold Toxicity patients showed that MSH levels were below the normal range in over 93% of cases. Approximately 165 individuals who did not have Mold Toxicity (called “healthy controls”) were also evaluated for their MSH levels – 97% of this group had MSH levels within the normal range based on the laboratory reference ranges at that time3. Results from this study and extensive published1,2,13 and unpublished clinical records show that Mold Toxicity patients are very highly likely to have abnormally low MSH levels, and healthy individuals are very highly unlikely to have abnormally low MSH levels.
Because these reference ranges change over time, as discussed below, the value you receive for your MSH test is interpreted based on the updated understanding of what is considered normal, as well as what MoldCo clinicians recognize as a level that indicates suspected Mold Toxicity.
Thus, MSH levels serve as an important sign for active Mold Toxicity when low. MSH levels are also useful for assessing whether corrective solutions such as leaving a moldy environment and/or detoxification and/or inflammation reduction are working – when the wifi signal gets boosted back up.
Solutions that seek to address Mold Toxicity aim to reduce MSH-lowering inflammation, which gives the body a chance to replenish MSH levels to its normal range (35-81 pg/ml) in an attempt to restore normal system-wide brain and hormone function.
Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFβ1)
Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFβ1) acts first as a thermostat to detect the activity of the immune system. When a foreign invader is detected, the immune system springs into action, pointing out the pirate microbes and particles, and recruiting many types of fighters to neutralize the invasion. A byproduct of this battle is inflammation.
TGFβ1 senses when the inflammation has gotten too intense, and calls upon firefighters of the immune system called ‘immuno-suppressive factors’ to cool things down by literally suppressing the inflammation-causing immune response.
Inflammation in the body has to stay in the Goldilocks zone. Too low, and infections and diseased cells take over. Too high, and the flame turns into a raging fire.
TGFβ1 helps the body find the sweet spot.
In some situations, TGFβ1 switches sides and turns the temperature up by helping the body crank out more immune cells such as T effector and T helper cells, which together destroy foreign invaders, but by doing so increase inflammation. Similarly, when elevated for long periods, TGFβ1 can harden tissues by telling the body to secrete collagen and other thick, fibrous substances and cells.
For this reason, both high and low TGFβ1 levels must be interpreted in a broader clinical context, by considering the stage and duration of disease, and the activation status of other cells in the body.
Blood plasma values of TGFβ1 that fall out of range, either below 344 pg/ml or equal to 2,380 pg/ml or greater may suggest an active infection or some other reason that the immune system has been activated.
Elevated level of TGFβ1 is a sign that the immune system has been triggered in response to mold and biotoxins, and it may occur with or without symptoms, as it represents the earliest steps in Mold Toxicity.
Although a value of 2,380 pg/ml may be considered high by certain Mold Toxicity clinicians, others may only choose to intervene if TGFβ1 values reach 5,000 pg/ml or above, with the decision being based on other diagnostic features of your workup. Laboratory testing companies such as Labcorp report your personal measurement of TGFβ1 analyzed from your blood sample, and provide a reference range for comparison. From this, you can determine whether your blood levels fall within or outside this range, which is based on population level statistics of the mean / average value from all previous individuals tested and NOT based on any diagnostic threshold for disease.
It’s important to note that Labcorp and other labs change their reference ranges over time for various reasons, and have stated that these ranges are based on observing TGFβ1 (and other blood biomarkers) in a limited number of patients, and therefore don’t represent diagnostic thresholds. In other words, while the value of the test provided to you by Labcorp is used by MoldCo clinicians to assess your probability of active Mold Toxicity, the reference ranges used to determine this are those developed by the community of experts in this field – listed in the table above – rather than the reference ranges reported by Labcorp.
If TGFβ1 levels have been high for a long period of time, symptoms of chronic inflammation are expected such as persistent fatigue, memory issues, poor sleep, excessive third and hunger, and others linked to neurological and hormonal problems.
Based on clinical experience spanning over 20 years and over 30 thousand patients, experts in treating Mold Toxicity have observed that exposure to mold and biotoxins results in TGFβ1 levels that are outside the normal range in 80-89% of Mold Toxicity cases, depending on the set of clinical records referenced13. Thus, this blood biomarker provides an important clue to suggest an active case; however, abnormally low levels of TGFβ1 are not associated with Mold Toxicity, only abnormally high values.
Solutions that seek to address Mold Toxicity aim to remove triggers of the immune system, which in turn, prevents the spiking of TGFβ1 levels, or result in its return to its normal range as considered by Mold Toxicity experts, which is below 2,380 pg/ml.
Find out how MoldCo can support these goals by signing up for the waitlist.
*Many clinicians who treat patients for Mold Toxicity consider a TGFβ1 value greater than 5,000 pg/ml as a threshold level to suspect health issues from mold.
Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9)
Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) belongs to a family of proteins that remodel the structure of tissues, creating new doorways and windows, and knocking down structural beams. This allows entry of nutrients, chemical messengers, and cells such as immune system T cells into tissues where they’re needed.
The inflammation caused by Mold Toxicity lights a beacon for these immune cells and molecular machines to rush to damaged tissues throughout the body so that they can start the repair process of building new blood vessels, neutralizing toxic particles, and filling in the potholes. MMP-9 grants them access to the worksite, but in doing so creates a mad rush to the construction site, which causes more inflammation.
Much of the inflammation caused Mold Toxicity occurs in the brain, but this requires MMP-9’s pickaxe to break down the blood brain barrier, opening the gateways to the central nervous system.
Thus, when MMP-9 is high – above 332 ng/ml – it’s a sign that inflammation is rampant throughout the body and brain, which may produce a wide variety of symptoms such as lethargy and fatigue, shortness of breath, confusion and other cognitive issues, mood swings, and others that result from tissue damage and swelling. Low levels of MMP-9 are not associated with Mold Toxicity.
Similar to TGFβ1 and other blood biomarkers, the reference ranges cited by Labcorp and other lab testing companies do not reflect diagnostic thresholds. Rather, they correspond to the average value from a limited number of patients tested, and who were not evaluated for presence of any disease. These ranges change over time, and fail to provide diagnostic guidance. Clinicians with experience treating Mold Toxicity, including MoldCo clinicians refer to an established range of MMP-9 blood test values associated with this illness, as depicted in the table above, to determine appropriate intervention steps.
The longer MMP-9 stays elevated, the more the body is at risk for tissues becoming hard and losing their function, as well as sending out more inflammatory signals in a process called “fibrosis”. This leads to ever-worsening symptoms and is associated with more serious diseases of the heart, lungs, and brain, including certain autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, some subtypes of lupus, and scleroderma. Lowering MMP-9 as soon as possible is therefore important for reducing the risk of inflammatory conditions.
Based on extensive clinical records from expert clinicians in this space, patients with Mold show elevated blood levels of MMP-9 in 84% of cases13. MMP-9 above the normal range of 85-332 ng/ml is strongly associated with Mold Toxicity.
Solutions that seek to address Mold Toxicity aim to remove the tissue damage and immune system triggers that cause MMP-9 levels to rise. Reducing inflammation associated with these processes typically results in the lowering of MMP-9 to its normal range.
Find out how MoldCo can support these goals by signing up for the waitlist.
A Note On Reference Ranges
As touched on above, a key concept for blood biomarker testing is the “reference range” for a blood test. For a given biomarker (e.g., MMP-9), the laboratory testing company determines the average value for that biomarker in the general population – this is called the “population mean”. Values that fall within 2 standard deviations of the population mean are considered to be “normal” or “in range”, and as such may change over time as more data is collected from the general population by that lab company, potentially shifting the mean.
The “normal range” or “reference range” may differ between laboratory companies based on internal population data and statistical methodology. Labcorp includes their reference ranges for each biomarker in the report you receive. For certain biomarkers, the reference ranges may be similar to those Mold Toxicity clinicians use. Others may have vastly different reference ranges. On top of this, reference ranges for Labcorp and other lab testing companies change often, and not in a way that reflects the diagnostic value of a lab readout.
The reference ranges used by Mold Toxicity experts, including MoldCo clinicians have remained mostly unchanged over the past 30 years. Where test methodologies have changed for Labcorp and other testing services, for example, using a new test reagent or incubation process (technical aspects of the test), Mold Toxicity clinicians have adapted their interpretation of the reported lab test value for a given patient accordingly. The reference ranges used by Mold Toxicity clinicians are based on observations of the levels of each biomarker associated with Mold Toxicity from patient clinical records, unpublished and published2,3,6, as well as from published studies in other diseases evaluating the implications of elevated levels of MSH, TGFβ1, and MMP-9, among other Mold Toxicity biomarkers.
When you receive your report from Labcorp, you may be confused by the discrepancy between the reference ranges on the report and those listed in this document. The latter represent ranges used by experts in Mold Toxicity, and by MoldCo’s clinicians based on over two decades of experience.
Labcorp’s currently reported reference range for MSH is 0-40 pg/mL. This is in contrast to the Mold Toxicity community normal range of 35-81 pg/ml, which was Labcorp’s reference range prior to 2013. If we were to use Labcorp’s current reference range for MSH, individuals who should be categorized as abnormally low would be erroneously described as having healthy levels. The scientific literature outside of Mold Toxicity demonstrates that highly variable values of MSH are associated with different diseases, and which are not tethered to the Labcorp normal range14,15.
Similarly, the reference range for TGFβ1 cited on Labcorp test results has changed over time, currently reported as 2,537-22,306 pg/ml, and was previously reported as 2,382-6,662 pg/ml. This differs from the value cited here as the value MoldCo clinicians utilize to assess whether your TGFβ1 levels are out of range (normal range: 0-2,379 pg/ml). The Labcorp test itself states that their reference range is based on limited population data that should not be used to indicate disease. The range represents the statistical analysis of a group of individuals regardless of whether they have any disease, and therefore cannot be used to infer a clinically meaningful condition. Clinical literature characterizing TGFβ1 levels across diseases are highly variable due to the different role and impact of this protein in different disease contexts16,17. This underscores the point that MoldCo clinicians use a reference range that is specific to the disease-specific clinical observations of patients with and without Mold Toxicity, which have been documented in the literature and in controlled studies2,3,6,7,18.
The reference range for MMP-9 currently provided by Labcorp is 0-983 ng/mL. Previously, they reported a normal range of 85-332 ng/ml, which is the same range that is used by MoldCo’s clinicians. The change in Labcorp’s reference range occurred around 2012-2013 and may reflect a transition to a different population data set to determine the mean.
These details of lab testing service reference ranges, how they are determined, and their lack of implications for assessing disease are one of many reasons why consulting a clinician with expertise in Mold Toxicity is vital to the correct interpretation of lab results for this specific condition.
Disease Assessment By MoldCo Clinicians
Your blood biomarker value in isolation does not indicate the presence of any particular disease or medical condition. It is used by a clinician to apply their best judgement of whether the clinical evidence in combination with the test’s utility suggests an underlying medical abnormality. This is why lab panel tests explicitly indicate that they are “for research purposes only”. The test is a tool used by a qualified healthcare professional to guide medical care. MoldCo’s clinicians are highly trained and experienced in providing this interpretation and recommending appropriate therapeutic steps.
Biomarker blood testing is a central pillar of a Mold Toxicity diagnostic workup. The specific biomarkers MoldCo clinicians use were chosen based on observing which proteins and other biological factors are most commonly dysregulated in patients with the hallmarks of Mold Toxicity3,6,7,18. Two important concepts about lab tests are (1) sensitivity and (2) specificity, both which help correctly identify whether an individual has a particular disease, but have important differences.
A sensitive test will be able to identify with high accuracy whether an individual is, in fact, positive for the disease. It will maximize the chances that a patient with disease will be identified, as it ideally has a very low “false negative” rate. This means that it is highly unlikely that a positive test result would occur in someone who does not actually have Mold Toxicity, and by corollary, if someone is positive for the test, it is highly likely that they do have Mold Toxicity.
Measuring your MSH, TGFβ1, and MMP-9 blood levels provides MoldCo clinicians with a highly sensitive test. This means that by evaluating the results of these three blood tests, they can tell with high accuracy whether you likely are suffering from Mold Toxicity.
A specific test will be able to distinguish disease A from disease B as well as the lack of any disease. Test specificity ensures that an individual with a positive result has Mold Toxicity as opposed to some other illness. Because a specific test does not mistakenly count healthy individuals as having Mold Toxicity, it has a very low “false positive” rate. MSH, TGFβ1, and MMP-9 can be elevated in many diseases associated with a disrupted immune system and with inflammation; however, the combination of abnormal levels of these biomarkers and Mold Toxicity symptoms clusters make MoldCo’s clinical workup highly specific, as described in the literature18.
An additional factor that contributes to the high sensitivity and specificity of a Mold Toxicity clinical workup is exposure to mold and related microbial species that cause this illness. This is why providing confirmation of exposure to mold in your environment – in your home, office space, or even passing through a moldy building – increases the ability of MoldCo’s clinicians to assess whether you have Mold Toxicity.
Creating a holistic picture of your health and the probability that you have Mold Toxicity involves collecting and assessing multiple environmental and biological data points. When these are taken together, MoldCo clinicians can generate a better evaluation of your health status in order to recommend potential recovery interventions.
FAQs
Can a mold blood test diagnose mold illness?
The results of this blood panel ordered through this channel is not overseen by a clinician, and therefore is not intended to diagnose Mold Toxicity or CIRS. The panel will report values of biomarkers that are associated with Mold Toxicity7 and can serve as a tool to detect markers of inflammation and immune response that may be associated with mold exposure. Your results can help you and your healthcare provider determine whether mold could be contributing to your symptoms.
Which lab test reference ranges should I use?
The MoldCo clinical team includes the leading medical and scientific experts in the field of Mold Toxicity, including authors of the diagnostic criteria for chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS).
Reference ranges and ranges corresponding to “high”, “very high”, and “low” that are reported on the MoldCo website reflect the latest biomedical and clinical research in the field, based on the evaluation of over 30,000 patients for CIRS. These may differ from reference ranges reported by laboratory testing companies, which may change over time.
MoldCo provides this context to enable patients and their licensed healthcare professionals to choose the appropriate reference standards.
How is chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS) related to Mold Toxicity?
CIRS is the best characterized disease entity that describes Mold Toxicity as defined by the MoldCo team based on the robustness of evidence and completeness of data in the publication record, and also in unpublished clinical records whose insights, but not any personal health information have been shared with the MoldCo team. As such, MoldCo’s approaches and solutions are heavily tied to the current standard of care in CIRS.
What is the difference between this blood panel test and environmental mold tests?
An environmental mold test measures the levels of mold in your surroundings, such as in the air or on surfaces. The field of Mold Toxicity and CIRS uses the HERTSMI-2 and ERMI dust tests to assess personal environment levels of mold. These tests use proprietary microbiological testing and algorithms to produce a mold risk score. In contrast, the MoldCo Starter Panel measures the blood levels of three biomarkers highly associated with Mold Toxicity to provide insights into your body’s actual reaction to suspected mold exposure, not only the presence of mold in your environment.
What do the results mean, and will they indicate if I have been exposed to toxic mold?
The results show levels of specific markers related to immune response and inflammation. Elevated levels may suggest mold exposure or other environmental triggers. However, the results alone do not diagnose toxic mold exposure; they indicate potential health impacts, which should be discussed with a healthcare professional.
If I test positive, what are the next steps? Will treatment be available?
If the MoldCo Standard Panel indicates that one or more Mold Toxicity-associated biomarkers is out of range, there is no diagnosis or health determination by MoldCo via this particular product for any medical condition, as this product will not be overseen by a licensed clinician. MoldCo can, however, match you with an appropriate clinician who can provide you with research-supported assessment and solutions, and ongoing support specific to recovery from Mold Toxicity. The MoldCo website contains a link to join the waitlist for this service.
Can the mold blood test determine how long I have been exposed to mold?
This test does not indicate the duration of exposure. Rather, it reveals whether your body currently shows signs of a hormonal imbalance and/or immune and/or inflammatory response, which could be due to recent (acute) or prolonged (chronic) exposure to mold.
How is my personal data handled, and is the test HIPAA compliant?
Your privacy is our priority. We follow strict data protection standards, including HIPAA compliance to safeguard your personal information. As a covered entity, MoldCo follows applicable HIPAA privacy rules. Your test results are sent to you and are not shared with any third parties other than the laboratory conducting your lab panel. Please review our privacy policy for additional details.
What are the limitations of this test?
The MoldCo Starter Panel measures the blood levels of three biomarkers that are very commonly dysregulated in cases of Mold Toxicity, and therefore provide important insights into the potential impact of mold on your current health. Nevertheless, these biomarkers are not unique to Mold Toxicity, and can be dysregulated in other diseases marked by elevated inflammation and/or active immune response. As such, the test is useful in establishing systemic inflammation and hormonal imbalances in the context of suspected mold exposure, but could also be indicative of a different medical condition that may require further evaluation and testing. We therefore strongly recommend that you consult a licensed healthcare professional in order to make any determinations regarding your health.
Can’t I use a urinary test for mold instead of blood?
Mold species, even those that release toxins that contribute to Mold Toxicity are present in the food we eat, and are therefore expected to be detected in the urine, as performed by a urinary mycotoxin test. This type of test has gained traction based on research demonstrating increased urine levels of detectable mold toxins in individuals exposed to mold and presenting with Mold Toxicity-associated symptoms vs. non-exposed controls19,20. Reservations regarding the implications of these studies have pointed to the lack of case controlled studies validating the causal link between elevation of mold toxins in urine and a diagnostically significant confirmation of health effects used to identify Mold Toxicity21. As reported by the CDC, urine mycotoxin tests are not approved by the FDA for accuracy or for clinical use. Further, the FDA has underscored the argument that mold toxins (mycotoxins) are found in the urine of healthy persons due to ingestion, primarily of contaminated food, and therefore cannot specify a toxic mold condition22.
Can mold affect me if I haven’t been exposed for long?
Chronic exposure to mold and biotoxins increases the probability that these biomarkers would be elevated or lowered compared to normal; however, every person has a different susceptibility to Mold Toxicity, and can develop unique patterns of symptoms. This means that even a short exposure to a relatively low amount of circulating toxins can induce some level of toxicity in certain people.
How reliable are the test results?
The lab panel is performed by Labcorp, a top CLIA-certified laboratory company in the country. These companies are used routinely for medical diagnostics in US medical care, and adhere to the highest standards. These tests have high accuracy and precision, however the reference ranges reported reflect a statistical snapshot of the population, and may differ between labs.
Will I be able to understand the results?
Results appearing on the Labcorp laboratory report will indicate your blood measurement along with ranges that Labcorp has determined are normal based on population averages, and ranges for which it may be considered “high” or “low”. Labcorp’s reference ranges are different from those used by CIRS providers to interpret a patient’s blood measurement, and to provide subsequent recommendations. Your total report package includes MoldCo educational materials that can help you contextualize your lab values according to the literature and clinical experience in the field of Mold Toxicity, and support your understanding of their biological significance. Interpreting the medical significance of your results, however, should only be done via consultation with a licensed healthcare professional.
Will my healthcare provider receive a copy of my results?
Your lab results will be sent directly to you and to nobody else, including your healthcare provider. You may, of course, share your results with your provider, and we strongly encourage this when attempting to interpret your results with the goal of understanding your health status.
Why is this test so much cheaper than self-pay with Labcorp or Quest Diagnostics directly?
MoldCo is able to offer negotiated rates for the blood tests included in this panel.
What is a “mold-certified clinician”?
The diagnostic criteria for the most widely treated and studied form of Mold Toxicity, called chronic inflammatory response syndrome, or CIRS, was developed by pioneers in this field12. These researchers and clinicians developed an instructional competency program known as “Proficiency Partners” offered in person and online, and that requires the successful completion of a technical exam. Passing this test enables a practitioner to undergo two further certification steps that confirm a deeper clinical understanding of CIRS. While all MoldCo clinicians are mold-certified, oversight of the medical practice is managed by one of the founding members and administrators of the Proficiency Partners program, who has contributed significantly to works in the CIRS publication record.
What constitutes a formal CIRS diagnosis?
The case definition of CIRS has evolved over the past 20 years as novel observations of symptoms presentation, environmental history, and biological markers have been integrated into a set of diagnostic criteria developed by Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker and colleagues.
In 2008, the US General Accountability Office (GAO) provided a Federal case definition for what is now referred to as CIRS-WDB (CIRS as caused by exposure to water damaged buildings)23. The case definition developed and published by Shoemaker et al. in 200612 required (1) potential exposure to toxin-causing fungi, or potential exposure to buildings in which the precedence of these fungal species was documented; (2) the presence of 4 of 8 system clusters; (3) positive results for 3 of 6 tests that included objective blood protein biomarkers and a genetic marker of the immune system (HLA haplotype), as well as an objective visual contrast sensitivity (VCS) test; (4) improvement of symptoms and certain biomarkers following treatment with a bile acid sequestrant.
This definition was updated in practice in 201718 by Dr. Scott McMahon, a colleague of Dr. Shoemaker and the acting Medical Director of MoldCo to adjust for the inability to use a post-hoc criterion (improvement following therapy) for an initial diagnosis, as well as to increase the sensitivity and specificity of the case definition. This adjustment required that (1) an adult patient must have 8 or more out of 13 symptom clusters (6 of 13 for children below 11 years of age); and (2) a patient must have 5 or more abnormal blood biomarkers or lab tests. The symptom clusters referenced above are depicted here.
Summaries of these diagnostic criteria and their significance have been published7. Additional tools have been added to the armamentarium of the CIRS clinician, including a 188 gene transcriptomic panel called GENIE that evaluates gene expression changes and their significance in confirming CIRS at the molecular level. MoldCo clinicians have been extensively trained in these methods, and the tests and solutions to support Mold Toxicity available through the waitlist are guided by the work done in CIRS to recognize and address health problems associated with mold and other biotoxin exposure.


Disclaimers:
The information on this page is for educational purposes only. The results of this lab panel do not include clinician oversight, and should not be used to make a diagnosis or health claim without consulting your licensed healthcare providers. The information and guidance provided herein is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. You should consult your healthcare providers to rule out other potential illnesses or conditions that may be causing their symptoms. Lab statistics describing the proportion of case positivity (Mold Toxicity cases that are out of range) for each analyte are based on pooled clinical records from patients who met all other diagnostic criteria for Mold Toxicity. Any health-related claims made on MoldCo’s website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). MoldCo assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content of the references, nor for any actions taken in reliance thereon. The biological analytes and clinical symptoms discussed on this page are not specific to any disease or other medical entity, including Mold Toxicity. The purpose of this panel is to obtain measurements of blood biomarkers associated with Mold Toxicity or CIRS, as described in the medical and scientific literature3,7, and which reflect clinical practice by certain mold-certified clinicians.