Emergomyces africanus is a thermally dimorphic fungus that causes a systemic mycosis in immunocompromised persons in South Africa. Infection is presumed to follow inhalation of airborne propagules. We developed a quantitative PCR protocol able to detect as few as 5 Es. africanus propagules per day. Samples were collected in Cape Town, South Africa over 50 weeks by a Burkard spore trap with an alternate orifice. We detected Es. africanus in air samples from 34 days (10%) distributed over 11 weeks. These results suggest environmental exposure to airborne Es. africanus propagules occurs more commonly in endemic areas than previously appreciated.

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RATIONALE: Paraben (Pb) and Triclosan (TCS) have been contained in many commodities such as soap, toothpaste and ointment. Some studies showed exposures to Pb or TCS were associated with allergic features, and a survey in Japan has not yet been reported. METHODS: The study design was a cross-sectional study in the National Center for Child Health and Development carried out between 2016 and 2017. We administered usage frequency questionnaire concerning Pb and TCS, and examined urinary concentrations of Pb and TCS for children and adults. We assessed the associations of exposures to Pb and TCS with allergic diseases defined by International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire. RESULTS: The number of participants were 229 (153 children and 76 adults). The users of hand wash and body wash containing TCS were 13 (5.7%). Eighty-severn (95.6%) participants did use products containing Pb. In infants, the users of products with Pb showed higher prevalence of atopic dermatitis compared to non-users (94.7 %, vs. 68.8 %, p50.04). In adolescents, the users of products with Pb demonstrated higher prevalence of allergic rhinitis (90.9 %, vs. 62.5 %, p50.03). CONCLUSIONS: In our study populations, users of commodities containing TCS was very few, while exposure to Pb containing commodities was common in daily life and was associated with prevalence of allergic diseases.