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Indoor plants

Question
Are indoor plants dangerous for my son, who suffers from CF? We are thinking about disposing of them. Could you give us advice, if we should rather dispense with indoor plants in the future? The indoor plants are only in the living-room, so not in the bedrooms. On this topic there are different opinions.
Many thanks for your advice.
Answer
Dear questioner,
on this topic, there are indeed different opinions, but here some information, which should give you a better judgment and help for decision, if the indoor plants can stay or not:
indoor plants need a humid medium, in order to thrive. This humid medium leads to the occurence of mould fungi (Aspergillus) in the potting compost. Furthermore, the one or the other humid wet spot can occur in the bowl under the plant. In these wet spots in general also Pseudomonas germs can evolve, as it is also described for inhalation devices and this is why a sterilization of the inhalation devices is necessary.
As a complication in CF, an allergic broncho-pulmonary Aspergillosis (ABPA) can occur. The ABPA is a mixed allergic illness of the lung which is caused by mould fungi of the type Aspergillus (type I and Type III allergy). To the allergic causing mould fungi belong also the types Aspergillus fumigatus (frequent) but also other types of mould fungi. 10-15% of the CF patients suffer from ABPA. It occurs predominantly in the second decade of life. The having of indoor plants is for the above mentioned reasons (Pseudmonas germs and source of mould fungi) to be judged critically.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Christian von Mallinckrodt
28.04.2011