Abstract Background:Only one case of occupational extrinsic allergic alveolitis due to mold inhaled during the sorting and transportation of onions and potatoes has been described in the literature to date. While having been exposed for one year the disease had healed up completely. Penicillium and Fusariummolds could be identied as cause of the extrinsic allergic alveolitis. We observed the second such patient albeit with more pronounced symptoms. We describe the patient’s severe symptoms as well as his broader range of antibod-ies. Methods:Assessment of comprehensive documen-tation as part of the medical examination, interview of former attending physicians, and additional IgG antibody investigations by ELISA and CAP-FEIA technique in order to detect more than the thus far known antigens. Results:A 53-year-old male non-smoker of German descent, who had worked in the sorting and trans-portation business of onions and potatoes for more than 20 years was diagnosed with an occupational extrinsic allergic alveolitis. Possible triggers are the molds Penicillium chrysogenum, Aspergillus fumig-atus, Fusarium proliferatum, and Cladosporium her-barum—against all of which IgG antibodies were
detected in the patient’s serum. Aˆer antigen avoid-ance symptoms improved. Interstitial lesions visible on X-ray, a signicant diŠusion impairment, and a
pulmonary hypertension have persisted, though. ‹e disease was accepted as a occupational disease. Conclusions:Sorting onions and potatos not only can elicit moderate symptoms of an allergic alve-olitis that heal without consequences, but can also lead to irreversible lung brosis associated with pulmonary hypertension. According to our nd-ings, in addition to Penicillium, Fusarium, and As-pergillusmolds Cladosporium herbarumis a pos-sible antigen, too. ‹us,this type of extrinsic aller-gic alveolitis is a serious notiable occupational
disease.