Aerosolization of fungal spores in indoor environments

2022 ◽  
pp. 153003
Author(s):  
Xian Li ◽  
Dan Liu ◽  
Jian Yao
Keyword(s):  
Fungal Spores ◽  
Indoor Environments

scholarly journals Preventive Conservation of Cultural Heritage: Biodeteriogens Control by Aerobiological Monitoring

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (17) ◽  
pp. 3647
Author(s):  
Luigia Ruga ◽  
Fabio Orlandi ◽  
Marco Fornaciari
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Fungal Spores ◽  
Indoor Environments ◽  
Aerobiological Monitoring ◽  
Preventive Conservation ◽  
Chemical Pollutants ◽  
Cultural Sites ◽  
Conservation Actions ◽  
Fungal Particles

Artefact conditions need to be continuously monitored to avoid degradation effects naturally caused by time and public exploitation in order to increase the value of cultural assets. In this way, the atmospheric analysis of both biological and chemical pollutants potentially present inside conservation environments represents valid support for the adoption of preventive conservation actions by evaluating periodically the presence of risk for the same artefacts. The aim of the present study was to analyze the fungal particles, potentially biodeteriogen, through aerobiological volumetric monitoring, particularly inside valuable historical, artistic, and cultural sites. Different exposition and conservation typologies of the artefacts with different flows of visitors were considered. The applied methodologies have furnished a reliable description of biological air pollution due to the presence of fungal spores—moreover, they have allowed for the prevention of risk situations and the measurement of their evolution in order to limit degradation processes. Through aerobiological monitoring, it was possible to provide important indications for interventions of prevention, conservation and restoration of cultural heritage in indoor environments.

33. Long-term Sampling of Airborne Fungal Spores in Indoor Environments

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Osborne ◽  
T. Reponen ◽  
A. Adhikari ◽  
S. Cho ◽  
S. Grinshpun
Keyword(s):  
Fungal Spores ◽  
Indoor Environments ◽  
Airborne Fungal Spores

scholarly journals Deposition rates of fungal spores in indoor environments, factors effecting them and comparison with non-biological aerosols

2008 ◽  
Vol 42 (30) ◽  
pp. 7141-7154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hussein Kanaani ◽  
Megan Hargreaves ◽  
Zoran Ristovski ◽  
Lidia Morawska
Keyword(s):  
Fungal Spores ◽  
Indoor Environments ◽  
Deposition Rates ◽  
Biological Aerosols

scholarly journals Annual distribution of allergenic fungal spores in atmospheric particulate matter in the eastern mediterranean; a comparative study between ergosterol and quantitative PCR analysis

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 28689-28711 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Lang-Yona ◽  
K. Dannemiller ◽  
N. Yamamoto ◽  
N. Burshtein ◽  
J. Peccia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Quantitative Pcr ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Fungal Spores ◽  
Fungal Spore ◽  
Atmospheric Particulate Matter ◽  
Pcr Analysis ◽  
Indoor Environments ◽  
Atmospheric Particulate ◽  
Airborne Fungal Spores

Abstract. Airborne fungal spores are an important fraction of atmospheric particulate matter and are major causative agents of allergenic and infectious diseases. Predicting the variability and species of allergy-causing fungal spores requires detailed and reliable methods for identification and quantification. There are diverse methods for their detection in the atmosphere and in the indoor environments; yet, it is important to optimize suitable methods for characterization of fungal spores in atmospheric samples. In this study we sampled and characterized total and specific airborne fungal spores from PM10 samples collected in Rohovot, Israel over an entire year. The total fungal spore concentrations vary throughout the year although the species variability was nearly the same. Seasonal equivalent spore concentrations analyzed by real-time quantitative-PCR-based methods were fall > winter > spring > summer. Reported concentrations based on ergosterol analysis for the same samples were and fall > spring > winter > summer. Correlation between the two analytical methods was found only for the spring season. These poor associations may be due to the per-spore ergosterol variations that arise from both varying production rates, as well as molecular degradation of ergosterol. While conversion of genome copies to spore concentration is not yet straightforward, the potential for improving this conversion and the ability of qPCR to identify groups of fungi or specific species makes this method preferable for environmental spore quantification. Identifying tools for establishing the relation between the presence of species and the actual ability to induce allergies is still needed in order to predict the effect on human health.

scholarly journals Air Microbiome and Pollution: Composition and Potential Effects on Human Health, Including SARS Coronavirus Infection

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin Moelling ◽  
Felix Broecker
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Fungal Spores ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Indoor Environments ◽  
Experimental Protocols ◽  
Allergies And Asthma

Polluted air poses a significant threat to human health. Exposure to particulate matter (PM) and harmful gases contributes to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, including allergies and obstructive lung disease. Air pollution may also be linked to cancer and reduced life expectancy. Uptake of PM has been shown to cause pathological changes in the intestinal microbiota in mice and humans. Less is known about the effects of pollution-associated microbiota on human health. Several recent studies described the microbiomes of urban and rural air samples, of the stratosphere and sand particles, which can be transported over long distances, as well as the air of indoor environments. Here, we summarize the current knowledge on airborne bacterial, viral, and fungal communities and discuss their potential consequences on human health. The current data suggest that bacterial pathogens are typically too sparse and short-lived in air to pose a significant risk for infecting healthy people. However, airborne fungal spores may exacerbate allergies and asthma. Little information is available on viruses including phages, and future studies are likely to detect known and novel viruses with a yet unknown impact on human health. Furthermore, varying experimental protocols have been employed in the recent microbiome and virome studies. Therefore, standardized methodologies will be required to allow for better comparisons between studies. Air pollution has been linked to more severe outcomes of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) coronavirus (SARS-CoV) infections. This may have contributed to severe SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks, especially those in China, Northern Italy, Iran, and New York City.

scholarly journals Annual distribution of allergenic fungal spores in atmospheric particulate matter in the Eastern Mediterranean; a comparative study between ergosterol and quantitative PCR analysis

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 2681-2690 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Lang-Yona ◽  
K. Dannemiller ◽  
N. Yamamoto ◽  
N. Burshtein ◽  
J. Peccia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Quantitative Pcr ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Fungal Spores ◽  
Fungal Spore ◽  
Atmospheric Particulate Matter ◽  
Pcr Analysis ◽  
Indoor Environments ◽  
Atmospheric Particulate ◽  
Airborne Fungal Spores

Abstract. Airborne fungal spores are an important fraction of atmospheric particulate matter and are major causative agents of allergenic and infectious diseases. Predicting the variability and species of allergy-causing fungal spores requires detailed and reliable methods for identification and quantification. There are diverse methods for their detection in the atmosphere and in the indoor environments; yet, it is important to optimize suitable methods for characterization of fungal spores in atmospheric samples. In this study we sampled and characterized total and specific airborne fungal spores from PM10 samples collected in Rehovot, Israel over an entire year. The total fungal spore concentrations vary throughout the year although the species variability was nearly the same. Seasonal equivalent spore concentrations analyzed by real-time quantitative-PCR-based methods were fall > winter > spring > summer. Reported concentrations based on ergosterol analysis for the same samples were and fall > spring > winter > summer. Correlation between the two analytical methods was found only for the spring season. These poor associations may be due to the per-spore ergosterol variations that arise from both varying production rates, as well as molecular degradation of ergosterol. While conversion of genome copies to spore concentration is not yet straightforward, the potential for improving this conversion and the ability of qPCR to identify groups of fungi or specific species makes this method preferable for environmental spore quantification. Identifying tools for establishing the relation between the presence of species and the actual ability to induce allergies is still needed in order to predict the effect on human health.

Extraction of EPS from Mould Fungi Isolated from City Houses and its' Antibiosis against Pathogenic Bacteria

2013 ◽  
Vol 760 ◽  
pp. 61-68
Author(s):  
Anima Nanda ◽  
M. Raghavan
Keyword(s):  
Alternaria Alternata ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Fungal Spores ◽  
Fungal Growth ◽  
Hay Fever ◽  
Extracellular Polysaccharides ◽  
Indoor Environments ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Seasonal Periodicity ◽  
Effective Manner

An aero-allergenic fungus in the indoor environments has been associated with adverse respiratory symptoms leads to different allergenic diseases viz., allergic asthma, bronchitis, rhinitis, and hay fever in the atopic human beings. Moreover, fungal assessment and exposure has traditionally relied upon questionnaires for health issues especially to children. The present study is an attempt to record the incidence and seasonal periodicity of airborne fungal spores in indoors and outdoors of an industrial city house, Hosur, Tamilnadu by Petri-plate settlement method. In qualitative and quantitative way, fungal spores considerably varied from indoors to outdoors as well as from season to season. Apart from fungal growth on culture plates and spore counts, new immunoassays for extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) have enabled quantisation of fungal agents in house dust in a more timely and cost-effective manner, possibly providing a better measure of fungal exposure. The present data investigated outdoor air harbored maximum fungal spores (53%) in comparison to indoor air (47%). Incidence of fungal species was predominated with more number of propagules during mid winter (December) and early rainy (July) periods in comparison to other months. Qualitatively,Aspergilluswas found with the highest frequency and had eleven members i.e.,A. awamori, A. fumigatus, A. niger, A. flavus, A. flavipes, A. nidulans, A. ochraceous, A. japonicus, A. terreus, A. versicolorandA. wentii,but quantitatively,Penicilliumwas isolated highest in its contribution to total CFUs followed byAspergillus. Out of the 32 isolated fungal taxa,Aspergillus fumigatus, A. awamori, A. niger,Rhizopus stoloniferandAlternaria alternatawere the predominant aeroallergens, which cause different types of respiratory/lung diseases among atopic human beings. Samples were sieved and fine dust was analyzed for EPS fromAspergillusandPenicilliumspp., though they are considered as more allergenic. In seasonal periodicity, winter contributed the maximum spore load followed by rainy. Summer was found with the least in harboring the spore mass in the indoors and outdoors.Alternaria alternata,which is accounted as a human allergen for sporosis inducer and an agent for hay fever and other pathologies, was also intermittently recorded. The extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) collected was further treated against the human pathogen to check its antimicrobial activity, which can be used as a good replacement of antibiotics.

scholarly journals ASSESSMENT OF AIRBORNE FUNGAL SPORES IN INDOOR ENVIRONMENT OF LIBRARIES IN NNAMDI AZIKIWE UNIVERSITY

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 506-520
Author(s):  
Chukwuemeka Chidera Godson ◽  
◽  
Obi Chioma Maureen ◽  
Ochiabuto Ogochukwu Barbara ◽  
Nwachukwu Chinazo Adannia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Indoor Environment ◽  
Indoor Air Pollution ◽  
Antifungal Susceptibility ◽  
Fungal Spores ◽  
Fungal Species ◽  
Culture Technique ◽  
Malt Extract ◽  
Indoor Environments ◽  
Air Samples ◽  
Nasal Swabs

Background: Polluted indoor environments pose health challenges such as allergy, infections, and toxicity. Most indoor air pollution comes from hazardous non-biological and biological agents. Due to the nature of the indoor environment of libraries, it is prone to colonization by fungal species. Method: Three sampling sites were used for the study and they include Festus Aghagbo Nwako Library, Main campus Awka, Medical Library, Nnewi Campus and Library Complex, Agulu campus. A total of 100 air samples were analyzed Using the Zefon A6 Single-stage microbial air sampler and Malt Extract Agar supplemented with 0.05mg/ml of chloramphenicol while 16 nasal swabs were collected from the staff present using sterile swab sticks. The mould isolates were identified using the slide culture technique while the yeast isolates were subjected to candida chrom agar and integral yeast plus identification. Antifungal susceptibility was performed using the integral yeast plus system and the agar well diffusion technique. Results: Out of the 100 air samples, a total of 625 fungal isolates were identified of which C.lunata 201 (32.16%) was the most predominant, while P. marneffi, P. expansum, A. restrictus, A. infectoria and R. rubra 1(0.16%) occurred the least. All significant at (p≤0.01). A total of 7 fungal spores were isolated from the 16 nasal swabs and appeared thus in descending order of frequency: P. notatum, 3 (42.85%), A. niger, C. lunata, C. albicans and F. aqueductum, 1(14.3%). Antifungal Susceptibility of the 28 yeast isolates indicated that C. famata, C. laurentii and C. luteolus, were all susceptible to commonly used antifungals in the integral yeast plus system with a 100% susceptibility value, while the mould isolates showed relatively moderate susceptibility to selected antifungals. Conclusion: The organisms isolated are well known to be pathogenic especially to immunocompromised individuals. Their presence in the indoor environment of libraries serves as a risk factor to both the library staff and visitors. Adequate precautionary measures and occasional environmental surveillance need to be inculcated in order to reduce the number of fungi in the indoor environment of these libraries.

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