Abstract
Culturing is still the most widely used method for determining fungal growth. Thus, is important to identify the most suitable culture media to assess Aspergillus spp. The aim of this study was to analyze data obtained from previous studies, aiming at identifying the most suitable culture media (malt extract agar (MEA) or dichloran-glycerol agar (DG18) to assess Aspergillus spp. isolation and growth. This study was conducted by using environmental samples (n = 1153). Most of the active sampling methods (air samples) were impacted directly onto both culture media. As for passive sampling methods, fungi were extracted from environmental matrices inoculated onto both media. Overall, total Aspergillus counts were higher in MEA (n = 617, 53.5%) than in DG18 (n = 536, 46.5%). Regarding Aspergillus sections, significant associations were detected with the media (χ2 (7) = 241.118, p < 0.001), the sampling approach (p < 0.001, 95% CI = (0.3 × 10−4), and the indoor environment (p < 0.001, 95% CI = (0.3 × 10−4)). As such, sampling approach and the culture media should be accurately selected when dealing with Aspergillus spp. exposure assessment.
Highlights
Received: 4 October 2020Accepted: 24 December 2020Published: 26 December 2020Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.license.Airborne microorganisms are able to spread into most of our living environments, including indoor [1]
Total Aspergillus counts were higher in Malt extract agar (MEA) (n = 617, 53.5%) than in DG18 (n = 536, 46.5%)
The sampling approach and the studied indoor environments may have influenced these data, as it was observed that samples from air (n = 325, 28.2%), filtering respiratory protection devices (FRPD) (n = 280, 24.3%), electrostatic dust collector (EDC) (n = 167, 14.5%), and mechanical protection gloves (MPG) (n = 125, 10.8%)
Summary
Airborne microorganisms are able to spread into most of our living environments, including indoor [1]. Indoor exposure to high concentrations of microorganisms has been recognized as one of the main transmission routes for infectious diseases [2,3], being responsible for various types of health effects through inhalation and ingestion. Besides infections, human exposure to bioaerosols is associated with a wide range of respiratory health problems, due to exposure in different occupational environments [4,5,6]. High levels of fungal particles are found in different occupational environments (animal production and waste industries, among others) [4,5,6], and their workers are at increased risk for respiratory diseases [7]
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