Antifungal paints

Wil: Oh yup. Just had morning tea. Gossip gossip. Apparently our floor is "infested" with fungal spores -_-

Me: Oh? Are the ceilings mouldy? Ooh I've been wondering, if we paint bathroom ceilings with ergosterol, would mould grow?

Wil: Ergosterol paint?

Me: Or ergosterol mixed into paint xP

Wil: Why ergosterol? It has no antifungal properties.

Me: Oh! Was it for yeast? Oops my bad. What about amphotericin!

Me: I SWEAR ergosterol was for something fungussy...

Wil: Ergosterol is the "cholesterol" of fungal cell membranes. Are there paints with amphotericin in it?

Me: oh... so it needs ergosterol! I remember now. And no there probably isn't, but we could make our own!

Wil: Where would you get amphotericin? It's an antifungal drug that's used in life threatening fungal infections.

Me: Don't ask me! You're the pharmacist!

Me: Or azoles!

Wil: I know where *I* would get amphotericin. I'm asking where *you* would get it from for the purposes of making antifungal paint. A doctor will not prescribe it for that purpose.

Wil: Aren't there commercially available antifungal paints?

Me: I'll get it off you! haa. Are there? dang, and I thought it was a new idea! XP

Wil: Where did the idea of mixing drugs into paint come from? It's not as straight forward as one might think. Paint probably isn't very friendly to the stability of drugs.

Me: I've been joking the whole way, I hope you know :P

Wil: No I didn't know you were joking. I take drug questions very seriously :P

Me: Well actually I was half-joking and wondering if it'd actually work xP

Me: Guess there's always the option of rubbing azole creams on the ceiling.

Wil: Ha although I think your concept isn't entirely silly. I'm willing to bet that people have wondered the same thing before. Rubbing cream won't do anything. Fungal infestations usually go deep into the wall/ceiling.

Me: Oh what, really! I thought it was all superficial! Outside-in. Darn!

Wil: Nope. It's why it's quite difficult to get fungal wall infestations cleared. Boo.

Me: How lame! Hmmm which agars are fungus-limiting?

Wil: I'm not sure. I'm not an expert on culture agars. I guess ones with higher pH like tryptic soy would reduce fungal growth.

Me: High pH! Of course! Vinegar-releasing humidifiers!!!

Wil: I would hate to think what a constantly high pH would do to the rest of the room though!

Me: Dissolve the wallpaper?

Wil: Possibly.

*

This was a very good scientific discussion.