engleski

Seasonal variations of airborne fungi in continental and mediterranean parts of Croatia

Background and Purpose: The airborne fungi concentration of outdoor environment depends on seasonal climatic factors, time of day, type of vegetation, air pollution, agricultural, industrial and other human activities. Exposure to spores and mycelial fragments can induce human respiratory allergies and diseases. Since seasonal and climatic characteristics of a particular region could have a great influence on the composition and concentration of aeromycota, the purpose of our study was to determine these variations in outdoor air of Croatian Continental and Mediterranean regions. Materials and Methods: Samples were collected three to four days during two-months period from February (2002) to January (2003). The Petri plate gravitational method with Sabouraud agar (supplemented with antibiotics) as collecting media was applied in this study. Open plates (ĺN=400) were exposed to air for 1 hour. After incubation at 250 C 2 for 4-7 days colony forming units (CFU) in plate were counted. Results: Significant increase of airborne fungi was recorded in late spring and summer (up to 44 CFU/plate/h) in Continental parts during higher temperatures. In Mediterranean area higher levels of airborne fungi were detected from October to January (up to 16 CFU/plate/h) probably due to a higher temperature in these regions and south wind blowing during sampling. Total of 23 fungal genera and sterile mycelium were identified. Cladosporium, Alternaria and Penicillium dominated in all regions but with significantly higher concentrations in Continental area (P<0, 01). Fusarium and Phoma were frequently detected during sampling but with lower concentrations. Aspergillus species were present in low concentrations in both regions. Sterile mycelium was increased in winter in continent and during late spring and summer in Mediterranean area. Conclusions: Species of Cladosporium, Alternaria and Penicillium contributed seasonal variations in concentration of airborne fungi. Decreased concentration of airspora and increased non-sporing moulds in Mediterranean parts of Croatia, are probably due to meteorological, seasonal climatic factors and type of vegetation. Monitoring of allergologicaly significant airborne fungi can be helpful in prediction of variations in their concentration, which is important for diagnosis and prevention of respiratory allergies.

Airborne fungi; airspora; Cladosporium; Alternaria; allergy

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