Fungal Fragments as Indoor Air Biocontaminants
Abstract
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, July 2002, p. 3522–3531 Vol. 68, No. 7 0099-2240/02/$04.000 DOI: 10.1128/AEM.68.7.3522–3531.2002 Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved. Fungal Fragments as Indoor Air Biocontaminants Rafał L. Go´rny,1† Tiina Reponen,1* Klaus Willeke,1 Detlef Schmechel,2 Enric Robine,3 Marjorie Boissier,3 and Sergey A. Grinshpun1 Center for Health-Related Aerosol Studies, Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45267- 0056,1 Health Effects Laboratory Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, West Virginia 26505,2 and Scientific and Technical Centre Building, F-77421 Marne-la-Valle´e Cedex 02, France3 Received 23 January 2002/Accepted 18 April 2002 The aerosolization process of fungal propagules of three species (Aspergillus versicolor, Penicillium melinii, and Cladosporium cladosporioides) was studied by using a newly designed and constructed aerosolization chamber. We discovered that fungal fragments are aerosolized simultaneously with spores from contaminated agar and ceiling tile surfaces. Concentration measurements with an optical particle counter showed that the fragments are released in higher numbers (up to 320 times) than the spores. The release of fungal propagules varied depending on the fungal species, the air velocity above the contaminated surface, and the texture and vibration of the contaminated material. In contrast to spores, the release of fragments from smooth surfaces was not affected by air velocity, indicating a different release mechanism. Correlation analysis showed that the number of released fragments cannot be predicted on the basis of the number of spores. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays with monoclonal antibodies produced against Aspergillus and Penicillium fungal species showed that fragments and spores share common antigens, which not only confirmed the fungal origin of the fragments but also established
Key Biomarkers
Symptom Clusters
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