Long term trends in outdoor Aspergillus/Penicillium spore concentrations in Derby, UK from 1970 to 2003 and a comparative study in 1994 and 1996 with the indoor air of two local houses

Abstract

Aspergillus/Penicillium spore concentrations have been monitored in Derby since 1970 using a volumetric spore trap, with full year data from 1991. In addition a short comparative study with the indoor air was undertaken at two local houses in 1994 and 1996. Aspergillus/Penicillium spores were present in the Derby air throughout the year and often reached maximum monthly cumulative concentrations in the autumn, although they were occasionally the dominant spores in the winter when total spore concentrations were low. Very high daily concentrations could occur at any time of year with a count of over 5000 recorded. Peak days in the autumn and winter of 2002-2003 were examined on a two hourly basis showing higher concentrations in the middle of the day. There was a positive correlation of cumulative monthly Aspergillus/Penicillium totals with maximum temperature. Indoor data from the two houses was examined on a daily basis and compared with simultaneously sampled outdoor daily spore concentrations. The elevated Aspergillus/Penicillium spore levels found in the older of the two houses occurred on all of the days sampled. Compared to the modern house, the Aspergillus/Penicillium spore concentrations in the old house represented a much higher percentage of the total spore count than in the modern one. The correlation between outdoor Aspergillus/Penicillium spore concentrations and the indoor air of the old house was 0.62, whereas in the modern house it was 0.31. Peak hourly samples of Aspergillus/Penicillium spore counts occurred at times of greatest activity.

Seasonal and intradiurnal variation of allergenic fungal spores in urban and rural areas of the North of Portugal

“…Contrasting results were obtained in previous work which reported that the highest Aspergillus/Penicillium hourly spore concentration occurred at 10.00 h, decreased after 14.00 h, and remained lower for the rest of the day (Gillum and Levetin 2008). Likewise, in Derby (UK), on peak days, the highest Aspergillus/ Penicillium spore concentrations usually occurred towards the middle of the day, around 11.00 h (Millington and Corden 2005).…”

High incidence of Aspergillus and Penicillium spores in the atmosphere of the cave of Nerja (Malaga, southern Spain)

“…For example, while Li and Kendrick (1995) did not find intradiurnal patterns, Millington and Corden (2005), similarly to our study, detected an increase in the concentrations of Aspergillus/Penicillium spores outdoors at around 11:00 hours. However, this behaviour is altered in the case of interior environments, where increases in the spore levels are directly associated with the activities carried out in these spaces.…”

Long-term trends in airborne fungal-spore concentrations: a comparison with pollen

“…Only Corden et al (2003) displayed region-specific trends of a single fungal species and for the period 1970e1996. However, a follow-up study on Aspergillus/Penicillium spore concentrations (Millington and Corden, 2005) revealed no trend for the period 1970e2003; spores from these fungal genera are not included among those contributing 0.1 % in the air of Thessaloniki. To our knowledge, there is no study dealing with long-term trends in airborne spore levels for a wide range of fungal taxa and, hence, there is no information to compare our results with.…”