The fundamental of fungi

This article describes the various types of fungi (yeasts, molds, mushrooms, ...). It reminds that they are single or multi-cellular non-motile organisms which rely on other organism or environment for nutrients. Fungi can generate spores which can germinate under appropriate conditions (moisture, substrate, temperature) after an extended period during which they remain dormant.
In buildings, spore concentrations in the air are usually between 3000 to 10000 spores per cubic meter, among them 10% are viable. Most common molds in the air are cladosporium, penicillium and aspergillus. Fungi are stressed or killed under UV light and low humidity.
Health effects of fungi are often inexistant, but some of them can create infections, encourage the production of toxins by human body or lead to repiratory and pulmonary reactions (allergies, asthma).
Health effects of fungi are described, as well as children susceptibility and research needs to increase knowledge of fungi.