The spatiotemporal distributions and determinants of ambient fungal spores in the Greater Taipei area

Kallawicha, Kraiwuth; Tsai, Ying Jie; Chuang, Ying-Chun; Lung, Shih-Chun Candice; Wu, Chih Da; Chen, Tsun Hsuan; Chen, Pang Cheng; Chompuchan, C.; Chao, Hsing‐Lung

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2015.04.020

Cited by 30 publications

(36 citation statements)

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“…Similar results have been reported in some other studies (Heo et al, 2014;Kallawicha et al, 2015). However, Burge and Roger (2000) noted that rainfall involves both dispersion of fungal spores into and their removal from the ambient environment; therefore, negative associations have also been reported previously (Ho et al, 2005;Pakpour et al, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

“…These results indicate the spatial variation in fungal spores: specifically, fungal spores in Hualien and Tainan generally originate from natural sources through local climate conditions, whereas the spores in the Taipei metropolis mainly originate from the nearby residential areas and human activities. This variation is corroborated by the high concentrations of Aspergillus/Penicillium in the Taipei metropolis, where the residential and commercial areas are major determinants of this fungal category (Kallawicha et al, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

“…This negative association probably results from the CO that inhibits the growth of mushrooms (which were the main sources of basidiospores observed in the present study), resulting in decreased basidiospore production. CO may also be an indicator for traffic: heavy traffic leaves a small habitat wherein mushrooms can grow (Newbound et al, 2010;Kallawicha et al, 2015), resulting in a low concentration of basidiospores. Additional experimental studies are required to confirm the causal relationship between fungal spores and these environmental pollutants.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These data provide information on temporal variation (i.e., daily, diurnal, and seasonal variations) (Liao and Luo, 2005;Yamamoto et al, 2012;Fernández-Rodríguez et al, 2014), spatial variation (Chow et al, 2015), and the predictive land-use regression (LUR) models (Kallawicha et al, 2015). In the United States, the concentrations of ambient fungal spores and other aeroallergens (e.g., grass, weed, and pollen) are provided by the National Allergy Bureau of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology on a daily basis as open access data on the Internet, which can be used as a guideline by the residents in the monitored areas, particularly the susceptible group, for avoiding or minimizing exposure (National Allergy Bureau, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ambient Fungal Spore Concentration in a Subtropical Metropolis: Temporal Distributions and Meteorological Determinants

Kallawicha

Chen

Chao

et al. 2017

Aerosol Air Qual. Res.

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Ambient particles comprise approximately 25% of fungal spores, which cause adverse health outcomes such as respiratory diseases, allergy, and infection. In this study, we investigated temporal variations and distributions of ambient fungal spores in an urban area of the Taipei metropolis for over 1 year. A Burkard 7-day volumetric spore trap was used to collect air samples. Samples collected daily were stained, counted, and identified on the basis of morphological characteristics. The associations between fungal spores and environmental parameters were then evaluated through multiple regression analysis. Daily monitoring data revealed a large variation in fungal spore concentrations. Specifically, fungal spores peaked during summer months (June-August) and declined during winter months (December-early March); moreover, the average concentration of total fungal spores was 3,607.97 ± 3,181.81 spores m -3 . Ascospores were the most prevalent taxon that was recovered from the samples, followed by basidiospores, Aspergillus/Penicillium, and Cladosporium. Multiple regression analysis revealed that meteorological parameters were the main predictors of fungal concentrations. Temperature, wind speed, and humidity were consistently correlated with total fungi and major fungal taxa, and sunlight had a negative association with ascospores. Among the atmospheric pollutants, particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 µm (PM 10 ) and ozone were positively associated with fungal spores. Carbon monoxide (CO) at lag day 1 had a negative association with basidiospores. This is the first study to characterize daily concentrations and determinants of ambient fungal spores in an urban area of Taipei metropolis. The obtained data can be used to evaluate the health impact of fungal spore exposure on the residents of the Taipei metropolitan area.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ambient Fungal Spore Concentration in a Subtropical Metropolis: Temporal Distributions and Meteorological Determinants

Kallawicha

Chen

Chao

et al. 2017

Aerosol Air Qual. Res.

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“…Endotoxin, a hazardous biological substance, is an essential component of biological aerosols (Boehlecke et al, 2003;Hsu et al, 2012;Kallawicha et al, 2015). The purified endotoxin structure is a complex of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and proteins and is widely distributed in the outer cell wall membranes of Gram-negative bacteria and other microorganisms (e.g., chlamydia, rickettsia, and spirochetes) (Nilsson et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimization and Influence Mechanism of Sampling and Analysis of Airborne Endotoxin Based on Limulus Amebocyte Lysate Assay

Wen

Liu

et al. 2017

Aerosol Air Qual. Res.

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Airborne endotoxin, a bioaerosol component of Gram-negative bacterial cell walls, is a considerable risk to human health. In this study, a systematic optimization and the analysis of corresponding influence mechanism based on the Limulus amebocyte lysate assay were operated by changing sampling duration, sonication pretreatment, extraction solution, and impinger types. Moreover, the corresponding influential mechanisms of these four factors were identified. Experimental results showed that endotoxin concentration tended to increase initially and then declined over time, and that the extraction solution reached saturation after 15 min of sampling. The majority of the cells were disrupted by an ultrasonication pretreatment of less than 800 W, allowing the detection of free endotoxins by the Limulus amebocyte lysate assay. However, a sonication power greater than 800 W could destroy endotoxin structure. Furthermore, the lipophilic and hydrophilic groups in the molecular structure of Tween 20 promoted endotoxin dissolution. Three samplers with different pore sizes and aperture numbers were compared. The results showed that collection efficiency was directly proportional to nozzle aperture size. Small pore sizes and high aperture numbers enhanced airborne endotoxin absorption because they could generating more bubbles with small specific surface area, thereby increasing the interaction between the endotoxins and extraction solution and improving absorption efficiency. Therefore, an optimized sampling method was proposed that collecting air with an AGI-30 impinger and pyrogen-free, sterile purified water (PFW) containing 0.05% Tween 20 at a sampling duration of 10 min. The sample was then sonicated at 800 W for 10 min.

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Bioaerosols: An Unavoidable Indoor Air Pollutant That Deteriorates Indoor Air Quality

Kallawicha

Chao

2022

Internet of Things

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The spatiotemporal distributions and determinants of ambient fungal spores in the Greater Taipei area

Cited by 30 publications

References 50 publications

Ambient Fungal Spore Concentration in a Subtropical Metropolis: Temporal Distributions and Meteorological Determinants

Ambient Fungal Spore Concentration in a Subtropical Metropolis: Temporal Distributions and Meteorological Determinants

Optimization and Influence Mechanism of Sampling and Analysis of Airborne Endotoxin Based on Limulus Amebocyte Lysate Assay

Bioaerosols: An Unavoidable Indoor Air Pollutant That Deteriorates Indoor Air Quality

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