Rusts

Natural Habitat

• Rusts are parasitic to many types of plants

Suitable Substrates in the Indoor Environment

• Unknown- rust fungi require a living plant host for growth

Mode of Dissemination

• Wind
• Forcible Ejection

Allergenic Potential

• Type I. (hay fever, asthma)

Potential Opportunist or Pathogen

• Unknown

Industrial Uses

• Unknown

Potential Toxins Produced

• Unknown

Other Comments

• There are 5000 known species of rusts belonging to at least 150 different genera
• Rusts are the cause of great economic losses on many cultivated plants
• Ancient Romans believed the god Robigus was responsible for rust disease on crops and attempted to ward off rust disease by celebrating Robigus in an annual festival

References

• Alexopoulos, C.J., Mims, C.W., Blackwell, M. 1996. John Wiley and Sons