Aerosolized fungal fragments

Abstract

Airborne fungal conidia derived from environmentally abundant and morphologically discernible fungal genera, including Alternaria Nees, Aspergillus P. Micheli ex Link, Cladosporium Link and Penicillium Link have been traditionally acknowledged as the etiological agents responsible for personal fungal exposure. The contribution of these fungal conidia to indoor, outdoor and occupational environments is well documented. Exposure assessment studies have shown that airborne particulate concentrations vary widely and are strongly influenced by climatic conditions, geographical location and the type of disturbance (Luoma and Batterman 2001, Mitakakis et al. 2001b, Ferro et al. 2004, Tovey and Green 2004, Chen and Hildemann 2009). Epidemiological studies have identified associations between personal exposure to fungal conidia and exacerbations of respiratory disease in persons suffering from seasonal rhinitis (Li and Kendrick 1995a) and asthma (Fung et al. 2000, Downs et al. 2001, Zureik et al. 2002). Even mortality (Licorish et al. 1985, Targonski et al. 1995) has been attributed to conidial exposure in subjects previously sensitized to fungi. As a result of these studies and the conclusions of a recent report on damp indoor spaces and health by the Institute of Medicine (IOM 2004), the indoor biodeterioration and health effects associated with fungal contamination in indoor environments has become a research priority.KeywordsIndoor EnvironmentPersonal ExposureFungal ConidiumMixed Cellulose EsterHyphal FragmentThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.