Fungal spore source strength tester: laboratory evaluation of a new concept

The airborne fungal spore concentration measured with air samplers during specific time intervals does not always adequately represent the maximum spore concentration levels, because of the sporadic nature of spore release. Hence, a reliable method is needed to directly assess the indoor fungal sources with respect to their spore aerosolization potential. In this study, the newly developed fungal spore source strength tester (FSSST), which aerosolizes spores from growth surfaces and samples the airborne fungi into a bioaerosol sampler, was evaluated in the laboratory. The FSSST's operational flow rates of 30 and 12.5 l/min were tested. The fungal spores released from moldy surfaces were measured with an optical particle counter. Simultaneously, the spores were collected by a bioaerosol sampler: either with a 37-mm filter cassette or with the BioSampler. Three material types, ceiling tile, gypsum board and plastic sheet coated with agar, were tested after they were inoculated with the fungus Aspergillus versicolor. In addition, gypsum board naturally contaminated with various fungi (obtained from a mold-problem home) was tested in the laboratory using the FSSST. In all three laboratory-inoculated materials, the release rate of A. versicolor was found to be higher when the FSSST operated at 30 l/min than at 12.5 l/min. Nevertheless, even at 12.5 l/min the number of spores aerosolized from the source during 10 min was found sufficient to reflect the highest level of release that may occur in indoor environments. At 12.5 l/min, the release rate of A. versicolor during the first 10-min period was (23.9 +/- 17.7)x10(4) cm(-2) for ceiling tile, (1.3 +/- 0.3)x10(4) cm(-2) for gypsum board and (0.13 +/- 0.08)x10(4) cm(-2) for agar surface (based on the samples collected with the BioSampler). The spore release rate was higher during the first 10 min than during the second 10 min of the FSSST application. It was observed that the particles aerosolized from the A. versicolor culture included spore aggregates and single spores, as well as mycelial fragments. Overall, 0.6 +/- 0.3% of spores detected on 1 cm2 of ceiling tile inoculated with A. versicolor were aerosolized during the 10-min source testing. The respective number was 9.2 +/- 1.0% for the laboratory-inoculated gypsum board, 0.002 +/- 0.001% for the laboratory-inoculated plastic covered with agar and 1.8 +/- 0.2% for naturally contaminated gypsum board. Our data suggest that the FSSST provides very favorable conditions for the spore aerosolization and thus can be used in the field to assess the maximum potential spore release from a fungal source.     

Assessment of the aerosolization potential for fungal spores in moldy homes

The airborne fungal concentration measured with air samplers during specific time intervals may not adequately represent the indoor air quality because of the sporadic nature of spore release from sources. The conventional source evaluation (e.g. swab and tape sampling) characterizes the mold source but does not relate to the fraction of spores that can be aerosolized from a contaminated material. As an alternative to these methods, we have recently developed and laboratory-tested a novel Fungal Spore Source Strength Tester (FSSST). It allows assessing the potential of aerosolization of fungal spores from contaminated surfaces under the most favorable release conditions. In this study, the FSSST was used to characterize the release of spores from four building materials in mold-problem homes. The spores of different species were efficiently aerosolized by the FSSST, exhibiting a total spore release rate ranging approximately from 10(2) to 10(3) cm2/min. For all tested materials, <2% of the spores on the contaminated surface were released during the tests. The airborne spore concentration estimated from the release rate data was found in most cases to be significantly greater than the concentration actually measured in these environments with simultaneous air sampling. The results suggest that the FSSST can be used for the assessment of maximum potential exposure to airborne spores released from identified sources in homes. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: A recently developed FSSST was found to be suitable to measure the aerosolization potential of indoor fungal sources at the most favorable release conditions. The FSSST generates the data that allows assessing the strength of mold sources in homes with respect to their maximum ability to contaminate indoor air with fungi. The novel approach bridges two conventional methods, the air sampling and the direct source evaluation (e.g. swab sampling), thus providing a better representation of the airborne fungal exposure than these methods individually. The device prototype can be used for evaluating the effectiveness of environmental interventions by taking samples before and after the intervention. As a broader application, the FSSST can be utilized for assessing the release of various hazardous biological and non-biological particles from contaminated surfaces.     

Effects of fungal species,cultivation time,growth substrate,and air exposure velocity on the fluorescence properties of airborne fungal spores

Real‐time bioaerosol monitoring is possible with fluorescence based instruments. This study provides information on major factors that can affect the fluorescence properties of airborne fungal spores. Two fluorescence‐based bioaerosol detectors, BioScout, and ultraviolet aerodynamic particle sizer (UVAPS), were used to study fluorescent particle fractions (FPFs) of released spores of three fungal species (Aspergillus versicolor, Cladosporium cladosporioides, and Penicillium brevicompactum). Two culture media (agar and gypsum board), three ages of the culture (one week, one month, and four months), and three aerosolization air velocities (5, 15, and 27 m/s) were tested. The results showed that the FPF values for spores released from gypsum were typically lower than for those released from agar indicating that poor nutrient substrate produces spores with lower amounts of fluorescent compounds. The results also showed higher FPF values with lower air velocities in aerosolization. This indicates that easily released fully developed spores have more fluorescent compounds compared to forcibly extracted non‐matured spores. The FPFs typically were lower with older samples. The FPF results between the two instruments were similar, except with four‐month‐old samples. The results can be utilized in field measurements of fungal spores to estimate actual concentrations and compare different instruments with fluorescence‐based devices as well as in instrument calibration and testing in laboratory conditions.     

The relationship between measured moisture conditions and fungal concentrations in water-damaged building materials

We determined the moisture levels, relative humidity (RH) or moisture content (MC) of materials, and concentrations of culturable fungi, actinomycetes and total spores as well as a composition of fungal flora in 122 building material samples collected from 18 moisture problem buildings. The purpose of this work was to clarify if the is any correlation between the moisture parameters and microbial levels or generic composition depending on the type of materials and the time passed after a water damage. The results showed an agreement between the concentrations of total spores and culturable fungi for the wood, wood-based and gypsum board samples (r > 0.47). The concentrations of total spores and/or culturable fungi correlated with RH of materials particularly among the wood and insulation materials (r > 0.79), but not usually with MC (r < 0.45). For the samples collected from ongoing damage, there was a correlation between RH of materials and the concentrations of total spores and culturable fungi (r > 0.51), while such a relationship could not be observed for the samples taken from dry damage. A wide range of fungal species were found in the samples from ongoing damage, whereas Penicillia and in some cases yeasts dominated the fungal flora in the dry samples. This study indicates that fungal contamination can be evaluated on the basis of moisture measurements of constructions in ongoing damage, but the measurements are not solely adequate for estimation of possible microbial growth in dry damage.     

Can we use indoor fungi as bioindicators of indoor air quality? Historical perspectives and open questions

Microbiological analysis of atmospheres witnessed substantial technical improvements in the 1940s to 1960s. May's cascade impactor and Hirst's spore trap allowed the counting of total cells but had limited capacity for identification of the spores. Bourdillon's sampler enabled the counting of cultivable fungi and their identification. A great step forward was given with the Andersen's six-stage impactor, which allowed discrimination of particles by size, counting of cultivable cells, and species identification. This period also witnessed the development of impingers, namely, the AGI-30 described by Malligo and Idoine, and the three-stage model designed by K. R. May. The 1990s to 2000s witnessed innovative discoveries on the biology of indoor fungi. Work carried out in several laboratories showed that indoor fungi can release groups of spores, individual spores and fungal fragments, and produce volatile organic compounds and mycotoxins. Integrating all findings a holistic interpretation emerged for the sick building syndrome. Healthy houses and buildings, with low indoor humidity, display no appreciable indoor fungal growth, and outdoor Cladosporium dominates. On the contrary, in sick houses and buildings, high indoor humidity allows fungal growth (mainly of Penicillium and Aspergillus), with concomitant release of conidia and fragments into the atmosphere. The intoxication probably results from a chronic exposure to volatile organic compounds and mycotoxins produced by Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Stachybotrys.Very clean atmospheres are difficult to study by conventional methods. However, some of these atmospheres, namely, those of hospital rooms, should be monitored. Sedimentary sampling, chemical methods applied to impinger's collection liquid, and selected molecular methods can be useful in this context.It was concluded that fungi can be useful indicators of indoor air quality and that it is important to deepen the studies of indoor atmospheres in order to promote air quality, the health and well-being of all, and a better understanding of the biology of indoor fungi.     

Relationship between indoor and outdoor bio-aerosols collected with a button inhalable aerosol sampler in urban homes

This field study investigated the relationship between indoor and outdoor concentrations of airborne actinomycetes, fungal spores, and pollen. Air samples were collected for 24 h with a button inhalable aerosol sampler inside and outside of six single-family homes located in the Cincinnati area (overall, 15 pairs of samples were taken in each home). The measurements were conducted during three seasons - spring and fall 2004, and winter 2005. The concentration of culturable actinomycetes was mostly below the detection limit. The median indoor/outdoor ratio (I/O) for actinomycetes was the highest: 2.857. The indoor of fungal and pollen concentrations followed the outdoor concentrations while indoor levels were mostly lower than the outdoor ones. The I/O ratio of total fungal spores (median=0.345) in six homes was greater than that of pollen grains (median=0.025). The low I/O ratios obtained for pollen during the peak ambient pollination season (spring) suggest that only a small fraction penetrated from outdoor to indoor environment. This is attributed to the larger size of pollen grains. Higher indoor concentration levels and variability in the I/O ratio observed for airborne fungi may be associated with indoor sources and/or higher outdoor-to-indoor penetration of fungal spores compared to pollen grains. Practical Implication This study addresses the relationship between indoor and outdoor concentrations of three different types of bio-aerosols, namely actinomycetes, fungal spores, and pollen grains. The results show that actinomycetes are rare in indoor and outdoor air in Midwest, USA. Exposure to pollen occurs mainly in the outdoor air even during peak pollen season. Unexpectedly high fungal spore concentrations were measured outdoors during winter. The presented pilot database on the inhalable levels of indoor and outdoor bio-aerosols can help apportion and better characterize the inhalation exposure to these bio-aerosols. Furthermore, the data can be incorporated into existing models to quantify the penetration of biological particles into indoor environments from outdoors.     

Culturable and Total Fungi in Dust Accumulated in Air Ducts in Single-Family Houses

Abstract Fungal spore content in dust accumulated in air ducts was investigated in 24 mechanically ventilated single-family houses of which 15 had also a central air heating system. Dust was collected from the ducts simultaneously with cleaning of the ventilation systems. Besides spore concentrations and flora of culturable fungi, total fungal spore concentrations were determined in dust samples by the aqueous two-phase technique and spore counting with epifluorescence microscopy. Culturable spore concentrations in the dust varied from 10⁴ to 10⁷ CFU/g and total spore concentrations from 107 to 108 spores/g. Total spore concentrations in the duct dust were significantly higher in the air heated houses than in the other mechanically ventilated houses. The difference resulted mainly from a higher proportion of recirculation air and a higher age of the air heated houses. Cladosporium, Penicillium, Aspergillus and yeasts consisted of >90% of fungal flora in the dust. Although total spore concentrations were at the same level both in the exhaust and in the supply ducts in both types of house, culturable fungal spore concentrations were slightly higher in the exhaust ducts than in the supply ducts. The proportion of culturable spores was <5% of total spores in dust accumulated in the ducts.     

The effects of meteorological factors on atmospheric bioaerosol concentrations--a review

Over land surfaces a quarter of the total airborne particulate may be made up of biological material in the form of pollen, fungal spores, bacteria, viruses, or fragments of plant and animal matter. Meteorological variables affect the initial release of this material and its dispersal once airborne. Temperature and water availability will affect the size of the source and will control the release of some actively released fungal spores. Inertly released material will become airborne when the drying of the surface reduces bonding forces, and when the material is disrupted by sufficiently strong air movement or by mechanical disturbance. The wind speed necessary to disrupt material is noted to be less on a plant surface than on the ground surface. Measurements of the concentrations of airborne material near dominant sources are reviewed for both area sources, and for point sources such as sewage and waste treatment works, agricultural practices, and diseased animals. The concentration of airborne material remote from sources is considered along with the effects of on and off shore winds and some examples of long distance transport of material. The vertical concentration of bacteria is noted to decline less rapidly than that of fungal spores. The short-term variation of pollen, fungal spore, and bacterial concentrations are also considered.     

A pilot investigation into associations between indoor airborne fungal and non-biological particle concentrations in residential houses in Brisbane,Australia

Indoor air contains a complex mixture of bioaerosols such as fungi, bacteria and allergens, as well as non-biological particles including products from various combustion processes. To date little work has been done to investigate the interactions and associations between particles of biological and non-biological origin, however, any occurring interactions could affect pollutant behaviour in the air and ultimately the effect they have on health. The aim of this work was to examine associations between the concentration levels of airborne particles and fungi measured in 14 residential suburban houses in Brisbane. The most frequently isolated fungal genus was Cladosporium, Curvularia, Alternaria, Fusarium and Penicillium. The average outdoor and indoor (living room) concentrations of fungal colony forming units were 1133+/-759 and 810+/-389, respectively. Average outdoor and indoor (normal ventilation) concentrations of submicrometre and supermicrometre particles were 23.8 x 10(3) and 21.7 x 10(3) (particles/cm(3)), 1.78 and 1.74 (particles/cm(3)), respectively. The study showed that no statistically significant associations between the fungal spore and submicrometre particle concentrations or PM(2.5) were present, while a weak but statistically significant relationship was found between fungal and supermicrometre particle concentrations (for the outdoors R(2)=0.4, P=0.03 and for a living room R(2)=0.3, P=0.04). A similarity in behaviour between the submicrometre particle and fungal spore concentrations was that the fungal spore concentrations were related directly to the distance from the source (a nearby park), in a very similar way in which the submicrometre particles originating from vehicle emissions from a road, were dependent on the distance to the road. In the immediate proximity to the park, fungal concentrations rose up to approximately 3100 CFU/m(3), whereas for houses more than 150 m away from the park the concentrations of fungi were below 1000 CFU/m(3). Recommendations have been provided as the future study designs to gain a deeper insight into the relationships between biological and non-biological particles.     

Airborne viable, non-viable, and allergenic fungi in a rural agricultural area of India: a 2-year study at five outdoor sampling stations

The information on airborne allergenic fungal flora in rural agricultural areas is largely lacking. Adequate information is not available to the bioaerosol researchers regarding the choice of single versus multiple sampling stations for the monitoring of both viable and non-viable airborne fungi. There is no long-term study estimating the ratios of viable and non-viable fungi in the air and earlier studies did not focus on the fractions of airborne allergenic fungi with respect to the total airborne fungal load. To fill these knowledge gaps, volumetric paired assessments of airborne viable and non-viable fungi were performed in five outdoor sampling stations during two consecutive years in a rural agricultural area of India. Samples were collected at 10-day intervals by the Burkard Personal Slide Sampler and the Andersen Two-Stage Viable Sampler. The data on the concentrations of total and individual fungal types from five stations and 2 different years were analyzed and compared by statistical methods. The allergenicity of the prevalent airborne viable fungi was estimated by the skin-prick tests of >100 rural allergy patients using the antigenic fungal extracts from isolates collected with the Andersen sampler. The ranges of total fungal spore concentration were 82-2365 spores per cubic meter of air (spores/m3) in the first sampling year and 156-2022 spores/m3 in the second sampling year. The concentration ranges of viable fungi were 72-1796 colony-forming units per cubic meter of air (CFU/m3) in the first sampling year and 155-1256 CFU/m3 in the second sampling year. No statistically significant difference was observed between the total spore data of the 2 years, however, the data between five stations showed a significant difference (P<0.0001). No statistically significant difference existed between stations and years with respect to the concentration of viable fungi. When the data of individual allergenic fungal concentrations were compared between stations and years, no statistically significant difference was observed in all cases except for Aspergillus japonicus and Rhizopus nigricans, which showed significant difference in case of stations and years, respectively. The ratios between the total fungal spores collected by the Burkard sampler and the viable fungi collected by the Andersen sampler from all sampling stations ranged between 0.29 and 7.61. The antigenic extracts of eight prevalent viable airborne fungi (A. flavus, A. japonicus, A. fumigatus, Alternaria alternata, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Curvularia pallescens, Fusarium roseum, and R. nigricans) demonstrated >60% positive reactions in the skin prick test. These selected allergenic fungi collectively represented 31.7-63.2% of the total airborne viable fungi in different stations. The study concluded that: (i) a rich fungal airspora existed in the rural study area, (ii) to achieve representative information on the total airborne fungal spores of an area, the monitoring in multiple sampling stations is preferable over a single sampling station; for viable fungi, however, one station can be considered, (iii) the percentage of airborne fungal viability is higher in rural agricultural areas, and (iv) approximately 52% of the viable airborne fungi in the rural study area were allergenic.     

Volatile metabolites of Serpula lacrymans,Coniophora puteana,Poria placenta,Stachybotrys chartarum and Chaetomium globosum

Volatile emissions from the cultures of three decay fungi on aspen and two soft rot fungi on gypsum board were investigated at 97–99% relative humidity of air. Air samples from the incubation chambers were adsorbed on Tenax TA tubes and 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine cartridges, and analyzed by thermal desorption-gas chromatography and HPLC, respectively. The composition of volatile metabolites varied significantly between the fungal species studied. Emissions of the brown rot fungi included pinenes, acrolein and few ketones. On the other hand, the production of alcohols from brown rot fungal cultures on aspen was poor during the 6–10 weeks of growth. The soft rot fungi emitted mostly ketones and alcohols. A significant ability of fungal growth to decrease aldehyde emissions was also observed.     

Size-fractionated (1 → 3)-β-D-glucan concentrations aerosolized from different moldy building materials

Release of submicrometer-sized fungal fragments (< 1.0 μm) was discovered in earlier studies, which investigated the aerosolization of spores from moldy surfaces. However, the contribution of fungal fragments to total mold exposure is poorly characterized. The purpose of this study was to investigate the size-fractionated concentrations of particulate (1 → 3)-β-D-glucan and numbers of particles aerosolized from the surface of artificially mold-contaminated materials using a novel sampling methodology. Aspergillus versicolor and Stachybotrys chartarum were grown on malt extract agar and building materials (ceiling tiles and gypsum board) for one to six months. Fungal particles released from these materials were collected size-selectively by a newly developed Fragment Sampling System, and (1 → 3)-β-D-glucan in air samples was analyzed by Limulus Amebocyte lysate (LAL) assay. The concentrations of (1 → 3)-β-D-glucan varied from 0.4 × 10⁰ to 9.8 × 10² ng m^− 3 in the fragment size and from 1.0 × 10¹ to 4.7 × 10⁴ ng m^− 3 in the spore size range. Numbers of submicrometer-sized particles aerosolized from 6-month old cultures were always significantly higher that those from 1-month old (P < 0.001). This can be attributed to increased dryness on the surface of material samples and an increase in fungal biomass over time. The average fragment to spore ratios both in particle numbers and (1 → 3)-β-D-glucan mass were higher for S. chartarum than for A. versicolor. The results indicate that long-term mold damage in buildings may lead to increased contribution of fragments to the total mold exposure. Therefore, the health impact of these particles may be even greater than that of spores, considering the strong association between numbers of fine particles and adverse health effects reported in other studies. Furthermore, the contribution of fragments may vary between species and appears to be higher for S. chartarum than for A. versicolor.     

Moisture buffering and effect of ventilation rate and volume rate of hygrothermal materials in a single room under steady state exterior conditions

In this paper, experiments and simulations investigating the moisture buffering of the gypsum boards are described. A test chamber was used for the experiments. The gypsum board was installed on the interior surface in the test chamber. This chamber was located in a climate chamber. The ambient condition of the chamber was controlled at constant temperature and humidity. In the experiment three cases of ventilation rate, no ventilation, 1.0 air change per hour and 5.0 air changes per hour, were investigated. In the experiment the relationship between moisture buffering and volume rate of the materials, various area and locations of the gypsum boards on the surrounding walls were investigated.     

Fungal aerosol composition in moldy basements

Experimental aerosolization studies revealed that fungal fragments including small fragments in the submicrometer size are released from fungal cultures and have been suggested to represent an important fraction of overall fungal aerosols in indoor environments. However, their prevalence indoors and outdoors remains poorly characterized. Moldy basements were investigated for airborne fungal particles including spores, submicron fragments, and larger fragments. Particles were collected onto poly‐L‐lysine‐coated polycarbonate filters and qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed using immunogold labeling combined with field emission scanning electron microscopy. We found that the total fungal aerosol levels including spores, submicrometer, and larger fragments in the moldy basements (median: 80 × 10³ m^?3) were not different from that estimated in control basements (63 × 10³ m^?3) and outdoor (90 × 10³ m^?3). However, mixed effect modeling of the fungal aerosol composition revealed that the fraction of fragments increased significantly in moldy basements, versus the spore fraction that increased significantly in outdoor air. These findings provide new insight on the compositional variation of mixed fungal aerosols in indoor as compared to outdoor air. Our results also suggest that further studies, aiming to investigate the role of fungal aerosols in the fungal exposure‐disease relationships, should consider the mixed composition of various types of fungal particles.     

Collection efficiencies of an electrostatic sampler with superhydrophobic surface for fungal bioaerosols

We recently developed an electrostatic precipitator with superhydrophobic surface (EPSS), which collects particles into a 10- to 40-μl water droplet allowing achievement of very high concentration rates (defined as the ratio of particle concentration in the collection liquid vs. the airborne particle concentration per time unit) when sampling airborne bacteria. Here, we analyzed the performance of this sampler when collecting three commonly found fungal spores--Cladosporium cladosporioides, Penicillium melinii, and Aspergillus versicolor--under different operating conditions. We also adapted adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-based bioluminescence for the analysis of collection efficiency and the concentration rates. The collection efficiency ranged from 10 to 36% at a sampling flow rate of 10 l/min when the airborne fungal spore concentration was approximately 10(5)-10(6) spores/m(3) resulting in concentration rates in the range of 1 × 10(5)-3 × 10(5)/min for a 10-μl droplet. The collection efficiency was inversely proportional to the airborne spore concentration and it increased to above 60% for common ambient spore concentrations, e.g., 10(4)-10(5) spores/m(3). The spore concentrations determined by the ATP-based method were not statistically different from those determined by microscopy and allowed us to analyze spore concentrations that were too low to be reliably detected by microscopy. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The new electrostatic precipitator with superhydrophobic surface (EPSS) collects airborne fungal spores into small water droplets (10 and 40 μl) allowing achievement of concentration rates that are higher than those of most currently available bioaerosol samplers. Biosamplers with high concentration rates enable detection of low ambient aerial bioaerosol concentrations in various environments, including indoors air, and would be useful for improved exposure assessment. A successful adaptation of the adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-based bioluminescence assay for the quantification of fungal spores from a specific species enables fast sample analysis in laboratory investigations. This rapid assay could be especially useful when investigating the performance of biological samplers as a function of multiple operational parameters.     

Removal of viable bioaerosol particles with a low-efficiency HVAC filter enhanced by continuous emission of unipolar air ions

Continuous emission of unipolar ions has been shown to improve the performance of respirators and stationary filters challenged with non-biological particles. In this study, we investigated the ion-induced enhancement effect while challenging a low-efficiency heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) filter with viable bacterial cells, bacterial and fungal spores, and viruses. The aerosol concentration was measured in real time. Samples were also collected with a bioaerosol sampler for viable microbial analysis. The removal efficiency of the filter was determined, respectively, with and without an ion emitter. The ionization was found to significantly enhance the filter efficiency in removing viable biological particles from the airflow. For example, when challenged with viable bacteria, the filter efficiency increased as much as four- to fivefold. For viable fungal spores, the ion-induced enhancement improved the efficiency by a factor of approximately 2. When testing with virus-carrying liquid droplets, the original removal efficiency provided by the filter was rather low: 9.09 +/- 4.84%. While the ion emission increased collection about fourfold, the efficiency did not reach 75-100% observed with bacteria and fungi. These findings, together with our previously published results for non-biological particles, demonstrate the feasibility of a new approach for reducing aerosol particles in HVAC systems used for indoor air quality control. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Recirculated air in HVAC systems used for indoor air quality control in buildings often contains considerable number of viable bioaerosol particles because of limited efficiency of the filters installed in these systems. In the present study, we investigated - using aerosolized bacterial cells, bacterial and fungal spores, and virus-carrying particles - a novel idea of enhancing the performance of a low-efficiency HVAC filter utilizing continuous emission of unipolar ions in the filter vicinity. The findings described in this paper, together with our previously published results for non-biological particles, demonstrate the feasibility of the newly developed approach.     

Microbiological Events After a Fire in a High-rise Building

Water used to control a fire on an upper floor in a highrise office building wetted furnishings and construction materials on lower floors and resulted in the amplification of microorganisms especially mesophilic and thermotolerant fungi. Concentrations of fungi in indoor air including Aspergillus, Penicillium and Paecilomyces approached or exceeded 10⁴ colony forming units per cubic meter (cfu/m³). Airborne endotoxin levels increased about 1 order of magnitude over background levels. Sampling for fungi using both culture plate impactors and spore traps showed that spores were migrating from water damaged to undamaged areas in the office complex. Elevator shafts traversing water damaged floors likely provided the major dispersion pathway of spores into occupied areas. Construction materials such as plaster ceilings that had been wetted during the fire but were free of visual fungal contamination were found to be strong fungal reservoirs after the building had thoroughly dried. Management of microbial contaminants after a fire in a highrise building is an important public health concern and therefore an essential aspect of building restoration.     

Effect of relative humidity on the aerosolization and total inflammatory potential of fungal particles from dust‐inoculated gypsum boards

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of relative humidity (RH) on the aerosolization and total inflammatory potential (TIP) of microbial particles released from gypsum boards inoculated with dust samples from homes. After microbial colonization, the gypsum boards were incubated at either high or low RH. The aerosolized particles (0.54–19.8 μm), culturable fungi, β‐glucan and the TIP of the aerosolized particles were quantified. Despite the colonization of several fungal groups, Penicillium dominated the aerosolized fraction. Higher emission rates of particles and culturable fungi were found from low RH compared with high RH in both the inhalable and particulate matter <1 μm (PM₁) fractions, and the TIP was accordingly higher. However, for the aerosolized fractions, the TIP or concentration β‐glucan relative to the number of fungi or particles present was higher from high RH compared with low RH. Despite the low number of culturable fungi in PM₁, this fraction showed a high TIP, and the concentration of β‐glucan correlated strongly with the TIP of this fraction. The individual particles of the aerosolized PM₁ fraction were more inflammatory than the larger particles of the inhalable fraction, and β‐glucan may be an important contributor to the inflammatory potential of the aerosolized particles.     

Quantification of the fungal fraction released from various preloaded fibrous filters during a simulated ventilation restart

This study aimed to demonstrate that particles, especially those associated with fungi, could be released from fibrous filters used in the air‐handling unit (AHU) of heating, ventilation and air‐conditioning (HVAC) systems during ventilation restarts. Quantification of the water retention capacity and SEM pictures of the filters was used to show the potential for fungal proliferation in unused or preloaded filters. Five fibrous filters with various particle collection efficiencies were studied: classes G4, M5, M6, F7, and combined F7 according to European standard EN779:2012. Filters were clogged with micronized rice particles containing the fungus Penicillium chrysogenum and then incubated for three weeks at 25°C and 90% relative humidity. The results indicated that the five clogged tested filters had various fungal growth capacities depending on their water retention capacity. Preloaded filters were subjected to a simulated ventilation restart in a controlled filtration device to quantify that the fraction of particles released was around 1% for the G4, 0.1% for the M5 and the M6, and 0.001% for the F7 and the combined F7 filter. The results indicate that the likelihood of fungal particle release by low efficiency filters is significantly higher than by high efficiency filters.     

Association between indoor mold and asthma among children in Buffalo, New York

Asthma is a leading chronic disease among children and places a significant burden on public health. Exposure to indoor mold has been associated with asthma symptoms. However, many mold assessments have relied on visual or other identification of damp conditions and mold presence, thus have not examined associations with specific fungal genera. The objective of this case-control study was to examine the relationship between airborne mold concentrations and asthma status among children and to identify the contribution from specific mold genera in air. Participants completed a questionnaire of home environmental conditions and underwent indoor air sampling in the home, from which viable and total-count fungal spores were quantified. The most prevalent fungi in the homes were the allergenic molds Cladosporium (98% and 87% of homes from viable and total count samples, respectively) and Penicillium (91% and 73%). There were no significant differences in mean fungal concentrations between the homes of cases and controls, although the observed rate of exposure to several molds was higher among the cases. Among children who lacked a family history of asthma, cases had significantly higher exposures to viable Aspergillus. Measured humidity levels in the home corresponded with some self-reported indicators of mold and dampness. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The results of this study support existing literature that indoor fungal exposures play a role in current asthma status and that some qualitative assessments of mold exposure correspond to fungi present in indoor air.