HERTSMI-ERMI Flashcards
What does HERTSMI stand for?
Health Effects Roster of Type-Specific Formers of Mycotoxins and Inflammagens
What does the HERTSMI test for?
5 mold species: Aspergillus penicilloides, Aspergillus versicolor, Chaetomium globosum, Stachybotrys chartarum, and Wallemia sebi.
What is the scoring of the HERTSMI test?
Test scoring= <11, safe for entry, 11-15 borderline safe, >15 dangerous, do not enter
Pros and Cons of HERTSMI
Pro: Cost-effective, easy to perform, score tells you if environment is safe
Con: limited to 5 mold species
What does ERMI stand for?
Environmental Relative Moldiness Index
How does the ERMI test work?
Uses dust sample collected in a vacuum fitted with specialized air filter. Analyzes for mold using DNA based mold specific quantitative polymerase chain reaction (MSQPCR)
What are the categories of ERMI?
- Mold species related to water damaged buildings (WDB), that cause health problems
- Mold unrelated to WDB, that do not cause health problems
What is the scoring range for ERMI?
Scoring ranges from -10 to +20, with -10 being the best and 20 being the worst. >3, could be considered unsafe
Pros and Cons of ERMI
Pros: Tests 36 mold species, very accurate, comprised into two categories of mold
Cons: Dust being tested needs to be 4-6 wks old, different sample sizes skewing results, results take longer to confirm, do not test for mycotoxins
What does EMMA stand for?
Environmental Mold and Mycotoxin Assessment
What is EMMA able to test?
Tests 16 of the most poisonous mycotoxins and 10 types of mold
EMMA uses the most sensitive molecular detection technology
True
Pros and Cons of EMMA
Pro: tests for mycotoxins and mold, easiest to conduct, requires minimal dust/material
Con: testing is not detailed, only tests 10 mold species, not completely accurate, new, results take longer, expensive
There is only 1 gold standard for analyzing mold in household dust samples.
False
The most common type of sample for heavy metal detection include:
- Blood
2. 24-hour urine
