On-site investigation of the concentration and size distribution characteristics of airborne fungi in a university library

Wu, Dingmeng; Zhang, Ying; Tian, Yu; Li, Angui; Yang, Li; Xiong, Jing; Gao, Ran

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114138

Cited by 31 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 56 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In general, the optimum temperature for different fungal taxa varies from 25 to 30 °C [ 21 ]. The results obtained for three airborne fungi are consistent with previous findings that airborne fungal concentrations are significantly positively correlated with temperature [ 17 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. The growth of fungi as temperatures increase may also increase the bioavailability of airborne fungal allergens [ 24 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Contribution of Visible Surface Mold to Airborne Fungal Concentration as Assessed by Digital Image Quantification

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The rapid monitoring of total fungi, including air and surface fungal profiling, is an important issue. Here, we applied air and surface sampling, combined with digital image quantification of surface mold spots, to evaluate the contribution of surface fungi to airborne fungal concentrations. Cladosporium, Penicillium, Aspergillus, and yeast often appeared in the air or on wall surfaces during sampling. The indoor/outdoor concentration ratios (I/O ratios) demonstrated that the airborne concentrations of commonly found fungal genera outdoors were higher than those indoors (median I/O ratio = 0.65–0.91), excluding those of Penicillium and yeast. Additionally, the surface density (fungal concentration/area) of individual fungi showed no significant correlation with the airborne concentration, excluding that of Geotrichum. However, if a higher surface ratio (>0.00031) of mold spots appeared in the total area of an indoor environment, then the concentrations of Aspergillus and Geotrichum in the air increased significantly. Our results demonstrated that the airborne concentration of indoor fungi is significantly correlated with the outdoor concentration. A higher density of surface fungi does not necessarily contribute to a high fungal concentration in the air. In contrast to fungal density, quantification of the surface fungal area is recommended to assess the risk of surface fungi propelling into the air.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Contribution of Visible Surface Mold to Airborne Fungal Concentration as Assessed by Digital Image Quantification

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…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 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…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 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Wang

Almeida

et al. 2022

JoF

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Airborne fungi are widely distributed in the environment and may have adverse effects on human health. A 12-month survey on the diversity and concentration of culturable airborne fungi was carried out in a research and teaching building of Tianjin University. Indoor and outdoor environments were analyzed using an HAS-100B air sampler. A total of 667 fungal strains, belonging to 160 species and 73 genera were isolated and identified based on morphological and molecular analysis. The most abundant fungal genera were Alternaria (38.57%), Cladosporium (21.49%), and Aspergillus (5.34%), while the most frequently appearing species was A. alternata (21%), followed by A. tenuissima (12.4%), and C. cladosporioides (9.3%). The concentration of fungi in different environments ranged from 0 to 150 CFU/m3 and was significantly higher outdoor than indoor. Temperature and sampling month were significant factors influencing the whole building fungal community, while relative humidity and wind speed were highly correlated with fungal composition outdoor. Variations in the relative abundance of major airborne fungal taxa at different heights above-ground could lead to different community structures at different floors. Our results may provide valuable information for air quality monitoring and microbial pollution control in university building environments.

show abstract

“…An increase in the fraction of airborne pathogenic bacteria was observed with the worsening of the air quality [20]. Little is known regarding the response of airborne pathogenic fungi to the pollution grade, since the majority of the studies on pathogenic mycobiome have been performed in the indoor environment [23][24][25][26][27][28][29].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microscopic Fungi in Big Cities: Biodiversity, Source, and Relation to Pollution by Potentially Toxic Metals

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

For the first time, a mycological analysis of outdoor urban environment (air, leaves, sealed surfaces) was carried in the cities of subarctic (Murmansk) and temperate (Moscow) climatic zones. The chemical composition of dust deposited on leaves of dominant tree species was taken as an indicator of the air quality. Assessment of the complex impact of factors (climate zone, type of substrate, anthropogenic load) on the quantitative and qualitative parameters of mycobiome was performed. Compared to Moscow, Murmansk was characterized by an increased number and concentrations of pollutants in the deposited dust. The number of culturable airborne fungi in Murmansk was substantially lower than in Moscow. Half of the species belonged to the opportunistic in both cities. Most dangerous opportunistic fungi were absent in the air of recreational zones but present on leaves surface and in road dust in all assessed zones of the cities. Dust chemical composition affected the diversity of fungi species. While the relationship of biological parameters with concentration of potentially toxic metals was generally negative, Cd increased the fraction of opportunistic fungi in road dust. The study revealed an importance of substrate in determining the sensitivity of outdoor mycobiome to pollution and highlighted its biological characteristics sensitive to climate.

show abstract

On-site investigation of the concentration and size distribution characteristics of airborne fungi in a university library

Cited by 31 publications

References 56 publications

Contribution of Visible Surface Mold to Airborne Fungal Concentration as Assessed by Digital Image Quantification

Contribution of Visible Surface Mold to Airborne Fungal Concentration as Assessed by Digital Image Quantification

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

Microscopic Fungi in Big Cities: Biodiversity, Source, and Relation to Pollution by Potentially Toxic Metals

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About