Dr. Rachel StoneMold toxicity — also called mycotoxin illness or chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS) — is increasingly recognised as a real and debilitating condition, though it remains underdiagnosed. If you suspect mold exposure is affecting your health, testing is the essential first step. Here’s exactly how to test for mold toxicity in your body.
What Is Mold Toxicity?
Mold toxicity occurs when mycotoxins — toxic metabolites produced by certain mold species (primarily Stachybotrys, Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Fusarium) — accumulate in the body and trigger a chronic inflammatory response. Not everyone exposed to mold becomes ill; genetic susceptibility (particularly HLA-DR gene variants affecting immune clearance) determines who is most vulnerable.
Symptoms are wide-ranging and non-specific, which is why mold toxicity is frequently missed: fatigue, brain fog, headaches, sinus congestion, joint pain, skin issues, mood disturbance, and multiple chemical sensitivities.
Tests for Mold Toxicity in the Body
1. Urine Mycotoxin Test
This is the most widely used and practically accessible test for mycotoxin exposure. It measures specific mycotoxins excreted in urine, including ochratoxin A, aflatoxins, trichothecenes, zearalenone, and gliotoxin.
Key labs offering urine mycotoxin testing:
- Great Plains Laboratory (GPL) — MycoTOX Profile is one of the most comprehensive panels
- RealTime Laboratories — widely used, tests 16 mycotoxins
- Vibrant America — Mycotoxin panel with broad coverage
Most urine tests require a first-morning sample. Some practitioners recommend a “provocation” protocol — taking glutathione or sauna before the test to mobilise stored toxins — though this is debated.
2. ERMI (Environmental Relative Moldiness Index)
Technically a home/environment test rather than a body test, but essential alongside body testing. ERMI testing of your home dust using PCR analysis identifies and quantifies mold species present. If your home has high mold burden, your body test results make much more clinical sense — and removing the exposure source is the most critical step in recovery.
3. Visual Contrast Sensitivity (VCS) Test
The VCS test is a validated neurological screening tool used in CIRS diagnosis. Mycotoxins affect the visual contrast pathway in the brain; impaired VCS is found in approximately 92% of CIRS patients. The test is available online at survivingmold.com as a free initial screen — not diagnostic on its own, but a meaningful indicator.
4. Comprehensive Inflammatory Markers
A CIRS-focused practitioner (following the Shoemaker Protocol) will typically run a panel of blood markers to assess the inflammatory response:
- TGF-beta1 — transforming growth factor; often elevated in mold illness
- MMP-9 — matrix metalloproteinase-9; inflammatory marker elevated in CIRS
- VEGF — vascular endothelial growth factor
- C4a — complement protein; highly sensitive to biotoxin exposure
- MSH (alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone) — often suppressed in CIRS
- VIP (vasoactive intestinal peptide) — regulatory peptide, commonly low in advanced CIRS
5. HLA-DR Genetic Testing
Approximately 24% of the population carry HLA-DR gene variants that significantly impair their immune system’s ability to clear biotoxins. This genetic susceptibility explains why some people become severely ill from mold exposure while others in the same building remain unaffected. HLA-DR testing (via a blood test or sometimes buccal swab) can identify this susceptibility and helps contextualise other test results.
Where to Get Tested
For comprehensive mold toxicity evaluation, seek out:
- A functional medicine or integrative medicine physician familiar with CIRS and the Shoemaker Protocol
- A naturopathic doctor experienced with mold illness
- Direct-to-consumer lab testing (GPL MycoTOX can be ordered without a doctor in many regions)
Mainstream medicine still has limited awareness of mold toxicity as a clinical entity — a conventional GP is unlikely to order these tests. Functional medicine practitioners are your best access point.
Frequently Asked Questions
The primary tests are: urine mycotoxin testing (GPL MycoTOX, RealTime Labs), which directly measures mycotoxins being excreted; the Visual Contrast Sensitivity (VCS) test, a neurological screening tool for biotoxin effects; and a comprehensive CIRS blood panel (TGF-beta1, MMP-9, C4a, MSH, VEGF, VIP). HLA-DR genetic testing identifies susceptibility. A functional medicine practitioner can order and interpret these tests together.
Symptoms are wide-ranging: chronic fatigue, brain fog, poor memory and concentration, headaches, sinus congestion, joint pain, muscle aches, skin rashes, mood disturbance (anxiety, depression), sensitivity to light, shortness of breath, digestive issues, and multiple chemical sensitivities. The overlap with other conditions (chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, Lyme disease) makes mold toxicity frequently missed.
Conventional mainstream medicine has limited awareness of mold toxicity as a clinical condition and most GPs are unlikely to order specialised mycotoxin or CIRS testing. Functional medicine physicians, integrative medicine practitioners, and naturopathic doctors experienced with mold illness and the Shoemaker Protocol are your best access point for comprehensive testing and treatment.
Urine mycotoxin testing from labs like GPL or RealTime is scientifically valid and can identify specific mycotoxins being excreted. However, it has limitations — results reflect current excretion rather than total body burden, some mycotoxins are poorly excreted in urine, and there can be variability between testing days. Most practitioners use it as one piece of a broader diagnostic picture rather than relying on it alone.
This article is for informational purposes only. Mold toxicity diagnosis and treatment should be managed by qualified healthcare professionals experienced with biotoxin illness.
Related reading: Mold Toxicity Symptoms.
