Identification and Prevalence of Culturable Mesophilic Microfungi in House Dust from 100 Danish Homes

Gravesen, S.

doi:10.1111/j.1398-9995.1978.tb01547.x

Cited by 69 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…The occurrence of microfungi from the beds corresponds fairly well with a former investigation of the occurrence of microfungi in Danish house-dust (Gravesen 1978). In house-dust the microfungi most frequently found was: Mircor, Penicilliitm, Alternaria, Cladosporiitrn and Aspergillus.…”

Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 88%

Microfungi in Beds and their Relation to House-Dust Mites

Andersen

1985

Grana

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Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 88%

Microfungi in Beds and their Relation to House-Dust Mites

Andersen

1985

Grana

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“…(37) and discriminates against fungi that produce small amounts of spores, large spores, or spores in slime, such as Acremonium spp., Chaeto- on May 11, 2018 by guest http://aem.asm.org/ mium spp., Stachybotrys spp., Trichoderma spp., and Ulocladium spp. Besides, fungal diversity is different in outdoor air (22), in indoor air (12), and in house dust (13,53) compared with each other and with moldy building materials (14). Air sampling alone may give an incorrect picture of the fungal diversity actually present in a moldy building.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Concrete is mostly used to cast foundations, floors, and other horizontal structures and will hold soil, dirt, and dust better than vertical surfaces. These Aspergillus, Chaetomium, and Mucor species are common in dust (13) and in hypersaline water and soil (16,44). They may be introduced along with dirt and may tolerate alkaline conditions in the concrete, beginning to grow when the concrete gets wet.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations between Fungal Species and Water-Damaged Building Materials

Andersen

Frisvad

Søndergaard

et al. 2011

Appl Environ Microbiol

308

280

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Fungal growth in damp or water-damaged buildings worldwide is an increasing problem, which has adverse effects on both the occupants and the buildings. Air sampling alone in moldy buildings does not reveal the full diversity of fungal species growing on building materials. One aim of this study was to estimate the qualitative and quantitative diversity of fungi growing on damp or water-damaged building materials. Another was to determine if associations exist between the most commonly found fungal species and different types of materials. More than 5,300 surface samples were taken by means of V8 contact plates from materials with visible fungal growth. Fungal identifications and information on building material components were analyzed using multivariate statistic methods to determine associations between fungi and material components. The results confirmed that Penicillium chrysogenum and Aspergillus versicolor are the most common fungal species in water-damaged buildings. The results also showed Chaetomium spp., Acremonium spp., and Ulocladium spp. to be very common on damp building materials. Analyses show that associated mycobiotas exist on different building materials. Associations were found between (i) Acremonium spp., Penicillium chrysogenum, Stachybotrys spp., Ulocladium spp., and gypsum and wallpaper, (ii) Arthrinium phaeospermum, Aureobasidium pullulans, Cladosporium herbarum, Trichoderma spp., yeasts, and different types of wood and plywood, and (iii) Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus melleus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus ochraceus, Chaetomium spp., Mucor racemosus, Mucor spinosus, and concrete and other floor-related materials. These results can be used to develop new and resistant building materials and relevant allergen extracts and to help focus research on relevant mycotoxins, microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOCs), and microparticles released into the indoor environment.Most water damage indoors is due to natural disaster (e.g., flooding) or human error (e.g., disrepair). Water can seep into a building as a result of melting snow, heavy rain, or sewer system overflow. Water vapor can be produced by human activities like cooking, laundering, or showering and then condense on cold surfaces like outer walls, windows, or furniture. Damp or water-damaged building materials are at high risk of fungal growth (mold growth), possibly resulting in health problems for the occupants and the deterioration of the buildings. The water activity (a w ) (a w ϫ 100 ϭ % relative humidity at equilibrium) of a building material is the determining factor for fungal growth and varies with the temperature and the type of material (27). The longer a material's a w is over 0.75, the greater the risk of fungal growth (49), though different fungi have different a w preferences (11). Some filamentous fungi can grow on a material when the a w is as low as 0.78 (26), while others can survive 3 weeks at an a w of 0.45 (30). The severity of indoor dampness varies with the climate, but WHO (52) estimates that in Austral...

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“…Sampling settled dust has long been proven useful in characterizing the microbial status of buildings (8). More recently, Chao et al (2) reported that the type of culturable fungi detected in settled dust from nonfloor surfaces was a significant predictor of nonspecific symptoms.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Air- and Dustborne Mycoflora in Houses Free of Water Damage and Fungal Growth

Horner¹,

Worthan²,

Morey³

2004

Appl Environ Microbiol

123

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Typically, studies on indoor fungal growth in buildings focus on structures with known or suspected water damage, moisture, and/or indoor fungal growth problems. Reference information on types of culturable fungi and total fungal levels are generally not available for buildings without these problems. This study assessed 50 detached single-family homes in metropolitan Atlanta, Ga., to establish a baseline of "normal and typical" types and concentrations of airborne and dustborne fungi in urban homes which were predetermined not to have noteworthy moisture problems or indoor fungal growth. Each home was visually examined, and samples of indoor and outdoor air and of indoor settled dust were taken in winter and summer. The results showed that rankings by prevalence and abundance of the types of airborne and dustborne fungi did not differ from winter to summer, nor did these rankings differ when air samples taken indoors were compared with those taken outdoors. Water indicator fungi were essentially absent from both air and dust samples. The air and dust data sets were also examined specifically for the proportions of colonies from ecological groupings such as leaf surface fungi and soil fungi. In the analysis of dust for culturable fungal colonies, leaf surface fungi constituted a considerable portion (>20%) of the total colonies in at least 85% of the samples. Thus, replicate dust samples with less than 20% of colonies from leaf surface fungi are unlikely to be from buildings free of moisture or mold growth problems.

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Identification and Prevalence of Culturable Mesophilic Microfungi in House Dust from 100 Danish Homes

Cited by 69 publications

References 10 publications

Microfungi in Beds and their Relation to House-Dust Mites

Microfungi in Beds and their Relation to House-Dust Mites

Associations between Fungal Species and Water-Damaged Building Materials

Air- and Dustborne Mycoflora in Houses Free of Water Damage and Fungal Growth

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