Milled rice grains imported into Uganda from Pakistan were investigated for natural contamination by fungi and aflatoxins. The direct plating method using five isolation media was used to enumerate and isolate the fungi during a 270-day storage period. Fungi were isolated and identified to species level and the percentage contamination levels were calculated. A total of 35 species belonging to 16 genera were recorded. The broadest species spectrum were found in the genera Aspergillus, Penicillium, Eurotium and Fusarium, which were represented by 11, 7, 4, and 3 species, respectively. Throughout the storage period, xerophilic fungi including Aspergillus candidus, Eurotium amstelodami and E. chevalieri were predominantly isolated. Species of the genus Penicillium (particularly P. pinophilum) and its teleomorph Talaromyces ranked second in predominance, while Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium spp. and other field fungi occurred only sporadically. Aflatoxins were recorded in rice samples during most storage periods with one sample recording 20-50 ppb. The moisture content increased in rice grains attaining values of over 14 % from the 180 th day of storage onwards. A positive correlation was observed between moisture content and incidence of xerophiles, including A. candidus and E. amstelodami.

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This investigation was conducted during the period of March through June 1998 to trap, enumerate and identify the different airborne fungi in a variety of microhabitats of outdoor and indoor environments in different localities of Uganda. The settle plate method was used and Czapek-Dox agar was the isolation medium. A total of 47 genera and 61 species in addition to some other unidentified airborne fungi were trapped from all exposures at outdoor (39 genera and 52 species) and indoor (35 and 49) environments. The total fungal catches of outdoor airspora obtained from all exposures (and even in most individual exposures) were more than twice (5222 colonies) of that of the indoor ones (4361) when the exposure periods are taken into consideration. It is worth mentioning that the most highly polluted sites were either parks, forests or river banks for outdoor exposures, or teaching laboratory, library, laterines or bathrooms for indoor exposures. The most prevalent fungi from both outdoor and indoor microhabitats being species of Mycosphaerella, Yeasts, Penicillium, Fusarium, Aspergillus, Cochliobolus and Alternaria. However, several others were trapped frequently from either outdoor or indoor environments. On the other hand, several others were trapped only, but not frequently (in low or rare instances) from either outdoor or indoor microhabitats. The implications of these airborne spores are also discussed.

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