Cladosporium

C. herbarum is the most frequently species found in outdoor air in temperate climates. Often found indoors, but usually in less numbers than outdoors. The dry conidia, borne in very fragile chains, easily become airborne and transported over long distances. This fungus is often-encountered in dirty refrigerators, especially in reservoirs where condensation is collected. On moist window panes, it can be easily seen covering the whole painted area with a velvety olive green layer. Cladosporium often discolors interior paint, paper, or textiles stored under humid conditions. Houses with poor ventilation, houses with thatched straw roof and houses situated in low damp environments may have heavy concentrations of Cladosporium, which will be easily expressed when domestic mold is analyzed.

It is commonly found on the surface of fiberglass duct liner in the interior of supply ducts. It is also found on dead plants, woody plants, food, straw, soil, paint, and textiles. The ability to sporulate heavily, ease of dispersal, and buoyant spores makes this fungus the most important fungal airway allergen, and together with Alternaria, commonly causes asthma and hay fever in the western hemisphere.

A few species of this genus cause disease which range from phaeohyphomycosis, a group of mycotic infections characterized by the presence of dematiaceous septate hyphae. Infections of the eyes and skin by black fungi (also classified as phaeohyphomycosis), and chromoblastomycosis, chronic localized infection of the skin and subcutaneous tissue that follows the traumatic implantation of the etiologic agent are also caused by this fungus. Chromoblastomycosis lesions are verrucoid, ulcerated, and crusted. Skin abscesses, mycotic keratitis and pulmonary fungus ball have even been recorded in immune compromised patients. It may also cause corneal infections, and meningitis, characterized by localized infections that involve cutaneous and subcutaneous tissue, fascia, and bone consisting of abscesses, granulomata, and draining sinuses, usually in immune compromised hosts. Fungal colonies are powdery or velvety olivaceous-green to olivaceous-brown. Dark conidia 1–2 celled, variable in shape and size, ovoid to cylindrical and irregular, typically lemon-shaped.