Assessment of seasonal variations in concentration, particle-size distribution, and taxonomic composition of airborne fungi in a courtyard space

Environmental Factors Affecting Diversity, Structure, and Temporal Variation of Airborne Fungal Communities in a Research and Teaching Building of Tianjin University, China

“…In our investigated building, the fungal genus Alternaria revealed significant positive correlations with temperature and relative humidity, while Arthrinium , Talaromyces and Torula showed negative correlation with the above-mentioned environmental factors. Previous studies reported that the concentration of Alternaria fungi was significantly higher from May to July compared to other months, while the total fungal concentration in autumn was higher than in winter [ 28 , 45 ]. It has been demonstrated that people trampling leaves outside in autumn may increase the likelihood of bringing plant debris in buildings, which in turn may support a higher diversity of airborne fungi indoor [ 28 , 45 ].…”

“…Previous studies reported that the concentration of Alternaria fungi was significantly higher from May to July compared to other months, while the total fungal concentration in autumn was higher than in winter [ 28 , 45 ]. It has been demonstrated that people trampling leaves outside in autumn may increase the likelihood of bringing plant debris in buildings, which in turn may support a higher diversity of airborne fungi indoor [ 28 , 45 ]. Our study confirmed the influence of seasons on airborne fugal communities, showing that the concentration of fungi in the analyzed environments was higher in summer and autumn than in winter, being the temperature seasonal variation a crucial factor to determine the observed differences in the fungal community during the one-year sampling.…”

“…Previous studies have found that fungal concentrations outdoor were higher than those in indoor environments [ 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 ]. Concerning outdoor environments, many epidemiological studies have shown that airborne fungi can cause serious respiratory problems [ 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 ]. For indoor environments, airborne fungi-induced health issues have attracted much attention, especially in public buildings [ 40 ].…”

“…For indoor environments, airborne fungi-induced health issues have attracted much attention, especially in public buildings [ 40 ]. Many researches have characterized fungal bioaerosols and assessed exposure risks in various communal buildings, including hospitals [ 41 , 42 , 43 ], libraries [ 44 , 45 ], and offices [ 46 ]. A better understanding of the fungal bioaerosol community dynamics in human dwellings can be crucial to evaluate potential health hazards [ 9 , 47 ].…”

Characteristics of annual mold variations and association with childhood allergic symptoms/diseases via combining surveys and home visit measurements

“…The onsite measurements revealed that most studied homes have exposure risks to higher airborne fungal concentrations and medium pollution level (Figure 3). Moreover, the results in Figure 11 studies, 26,[63][64][65][66] to evaluate the indoor airborne fungal concentrations by quantification, the one-time air sampling is only helpful to determine current exposure at the sampling location at that time.…”