Fungal volatilization of arsenic and antimony and the sudden infant death syndrome.

Fungal volatilization of antimony and other group Vb elements has been proposed to have a causal role in the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS; cot death). The ability of fungi to produce volatile arsenic and antimony compounds in pure culture was examined using Scopulariopsis brevicaulis, reported as an inhabitant of PVC cot mattress covers, and Phaeolus schweinitzii, a wood decay fungus known to be a good volatilizer of arsenic. Volatile arsenic compounds were detected from all cultures grown on arsenic-supplemented media, but antimony volatilization was not reliably detected. Although antimony levels above the baseline sensitivity of the analytical technique were detected in four (out of 24) of the samples analyzed, the concentrations recorded were too low to be reliably interpreted as evidence for volatilization. Our results are discussed in relation to hypotheses regarding the causes of SIDS.