(CNN) Mold in privately run housing at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida not only caused health problems but led to mushrooms growing out of a floor and carpet, according to a federal lawsuit filed by five service members and their families.

The lawsuit, filed this week in US District Court in Tampa, accuses the housing owners and managers of ignoring repeated complaints about mold exposure, conducting inadequate remediation work and not sharing mold test results with the military families.

"In at least one instance, moldy conditions went untreated ... for so long that mushrooms grew out of the floor and carpet," the suit said.

"Indeed, once a leak, flood, or dampness occurs, mold can begin to spread, and its natural progression is to spur highly toxic 'mold mushrooms' that are harmful to human and animals alike," according to the lawsuit.

The defendants in the case -- the Michaels Organization, Michael Management Services, Interstate Realty Management Company, AMC East Communities, Clark Realty Capital and Harbor Bay at MacDill -- did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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