Have you got a mould gene? are you genetically susceptible to mould & biotoxin illness? find out what your hla means and the easy blood test required.

 You might have seen me posting on Instagram a bit about HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen) haplotypes, and if you're having strange symptoms and not getting any answers, or you know that you have mould illness, it's a good idea to test for this gene.

To determine if a patient is genetically susceptible, we use HLA DR/DQ genetic testing which can be bulk-billed through your GP under Medicare code 71151 (if they're willing) or ordered privately through NutriPath (test code 3401, call to order, $256) in Australia. In the US, a new option is through https://humanbiomics.com/, or Truehealthlabs.com.

Having the gene doesn't mean that you have CIRS, but is a key part to whether or not a
person is susceptible to developing CIRS. If you have failed the VCS test (an free online eye test assessing biotoxin exposure), are presenting with a multi-symptom, multi-system illness and have susceptible HLA genes - then it is over 98.5% likely that you have CIRS.

From Dr Shoemaker's research, which has been replicated by a number of other clinicians, we know that approximately 95% of people presenting with CIRS will have a certain HLA gene, a certain haplotype. And approximately 24 % of the USA population have HLA gene types that make them susceptible to biotoxin illness (that's a LOT of people and these biotoxins are a lot bigger problem than most people realise).

Only 5% of people will get sick with mould illness and other CIRS biotoxin illnesses if they don't have one of these susceptible genes. So it's not common, and for the 5% without the gene that have mould illness, recovery is usually much quicker. They are more likely to have become sick in association with low MSH.

For the 95%, including myself, we are sick because we don't have the genetic ability to recognise and process certain biotoxins when our immune system is presented with them and can't make anti-bodies to them. As such, a chronic inflammatory response begins and never shuts off (until treatment).

For me, I have a mould susceptible gene and also a low Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone gene (which plays a role in CIRS) which was uncovered in the same easy blood test. I did mine through my naturopath who ordered from NutriPATH. It's hereditary, and I know from testing that the gene came from my maternal side (thanks mum!) and the Low MSH gene came from my dad. A bit of a double whammy. Having a mould susceptible gene means I'm susceptible to getting sick from mould because my body has a seriously impaired ability to clear mould toxins. My HLA type does not direct my body to make antigens to mould and mycotoxins, instead, it just sounds the alarm for a foreign intruder, over and over again, creating insane levels of inflammation [until there’s medical intervention!].

You can also have two copies of the mould gene if both your mum and dad passed one on, but Dr Shoemaker says this doesn't increase illness severity any further.

Depending on a person's individual HLA gene combinations, a person may be susceptible to one or more biotoxin related illnesses. Their body does not have the ability to tag and process these toxins or make the relevant antibodies.

Your HLA gene combinations determine susceptibility to different biotoxin-related illnesses:
• Mould-susceptible: Vulnerable to toxins from mould in water-damaged buildings (WDB).
• Lyme-susceptible: Struggles to clear biotoxins from tick-borne illnesses.
• Multi-susceptible: Vulnerable to multiple biotoxins (e.g., mould, Lyme, Actinobacteria, ciguatoxin etc).

Biotoxins That Can Cause CIRS

Biotoxins are environmental toxins of biological origin. At least 30 biotoxins are known to induce CIRS, but 80% of cases stem from water-damaged buildings (WDB).

Common sources include:

1. Water-damaged buildings: Toxins from mould, actinobacteria, and endotoxins etc. CIRS-WDB.
2. Ciguatoxin: Marine biotoxins, causing ciguatera poisoning. Ingestion of reef fish with the biotoxin ciguatoxin in susceptible individuals can lead to CIRS.
3. Blue-green algae blooms: Toxins from freshwater algae in lakes, rivers, ponds, and estuaries.
4. Insect bites: Biotoxins from brown recluse spider and scorpion venoms.
5. Tick-borne illnesses: Toxins from Lyme disease, Babesia, and Bartonella.

CIRS from any biotoxin presents the same way clinically—symptoms alone can’t differentiate between mould illness, Lyme disease, or other biotoxin exposures.

It's important to know your genetic susceptibility for a number of reasons.

- It can make diagnosis quicker (if you are presenting with all of the symptoms of CIRS and are positive for the CIRS HLA some doctors will start treatment based on that alone)
- You can gauge how much support you'll need to recover from mould illness (ie will you be someone who leaves a mouldy environment and gets better overnight (non-genetically susceptible) or will you need a detox protocol and supplements (susceptible HLA identified)
- Because if you know you're mould susceptible only then you know to focus efforts on mould and if you're multi-susceptible you need to consider other biotoxin effects
- Because if you are multi-susceptible your doctor will know to test your for illness caused by other biotoxins and to provide advice about sources of biotoxins in your home and environment that are not mould

INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS: If you are working with a practitioner they should be able to interpret the results for you, but note that if you order directly through a GP or NutriPATH you will need help to decipher which HLA you have - reach out if so!

I hope you’ve found this helpful! If you’ve got further questions, please post them below or get in touch via email.

Follow me over on Instagram at @mould.wise for more mould/CIRS tips and info!