ACTINOMYCETES (GRAM-POSITIVE BACTERIA)

The Actinomycetes (Actino) Dust Test analyses household dust to identify and quantify Actinomycetes, a group of bacteria commonly found in water-damaged buildings.

Actinomycetes produce biotoxins similar to mycotoxins found in mould and are frequently present alongside mould in damp environments. Increasingly, they are recognised as an important (and often overlooked) contributor to building-related illness.

Research suggests that Actinomycetes may multiply the effects of mould exposure and could be responsible for a significant proportion of building-related illness symptoms in some individuals.

This test is designed to provide environmental insight, particularly where there is current or historic water damage, or where symptoms persist but mould testing alone does not provide clear answers.

WHAT IT TESTS FOR

The laboratory analysis focuses on Actinomycetes associated with water-damaged buildings and provides two calculated values:

Actino Score

• A measure of water-damage–associated bacteria
• Calculated using 40 key Actinomycetes species commonly found in Building Related Illness (BRI) environments
• Helps indicate whether a property may be behaving like a water-damaged building

Actino Index

• A biomarker for toxic bacteria
• Can help assess how safe a building may be for CIRS-affected individuals
• Often used alongside ERMI or other dust-based tests to build a more complete exposure picture
  

Together, these values help assess both contamination levels and potential health relevance.

Your Actinomycetes Dust Test kit includes:

• Swiffer (for collecting the dust sample)
• Gloves
• Ziplock sample bag
• Step-by-step instructions
• Chain of Custody form (required by the laboratory)
• Return postage to Mould Lab
  International laboratory shipping for analysis
• Results emailed directly to you
  

There are no hidden costs.

The kit includes one Swiffer cloth. This counts as one test.

Do not cut the Swiffer — cutting it creates multiple samples, which would be charged as additional tests by the lab, and may delay sending your sample until you confirm whether you want to proceed with multiple tests.

For best accuracy, use one Swiffer per room, but we understand this isn’t always practical or necessary if your goal is simply to confirm whether there is a problem within the property. You can use a single Swiffer across multiple rooms, but please note that the result will only indicate whether one of those rooms has an issue — it will not show which one.

Prioritise rooms that:

• Have known or suspected water damage
• Cause worsening symptoms when occupied
• Are frequently used (e.g., bedrooms, living rooms)
• If you’re unsure which rooms to test, consider starting with air sampling to identify higher-risk areas.

For best results, we recommend cleaning the property first and then collecting dust after 6–8 weeks of fresh accumulation.
However, this step is not essential and depends on your goals. If you want to check for historical contamination, need urgent results, or are investigating a specific event, testing existing dust can still be appropriate and informative.

• This test does not diagnose illness. It is designed to provide environmental information only.
• Actinomycetes are not always visible and cannot be reliably identified through visual inspection alone.
• Results are often most useful when reviewed alongside other tests (such as ERMI or Endotoxin) and/or discussed with a qualified practitioner or building professional.

On receipt of your sample, Mould Lab will send it on to the necessary lab via FEDEX Express Delivery (1-3 business days).

Once your sample is with the lab, the turnaround time is 7 days.