TY - JOUR
T1 - Settleable dust and bioburden in portuguese dwellings
AU - Viegas, Carla
AU - Dias, Marta
AU - Almeida, Beatriz
AU - Vicente, Estela
AU - Caetano, Liliana Aranha
AU - Carolino, Elisabete
AU - Alves, Célia
PY - 2020/11
Y1 - 2020/11
N2 - Monitoring campaigns in several buildings have shown that occupants exposed to contaminated indoor air generally exhibit diverse health symptoms. This study intends to assess settleable dust loading rates and bioburden in Portuguese dwellings by passive sampling onto quartz fiber filters and electrostatic dust cloths (EDCs), respectively. Settled dust collected by EDCs was analyzed by culture-based methods (including azole-resistance screening) and qPCR, targeting four different toxigenic Aspergillus sections (Flavi, Fumigati, Circumdati, and Nidulantes). Dust loading rates and bioburden showed higher variability in the summer season. In both seasons, Penicillium sp. was the one with the highest prevalence (59.1% winter; 58.1% summer), followed by Aspergillus sp. in winter (13.0%). Fungal contamination increased in the winter period, while bacterial counts decreased. Aspergillus sections Circumdati and Nidulantes, detected in voriconazole supplemented media, and Aspergillus sections Fumigati and Nidulantes, detected by molecular tools, were found in the winter samples. This study reinforces the importance of applying: (a) Passive sampling methods in campaigns in dwellings; (b) two different culture media (MEA and DG18) to assess fungi; (c) in parallel, molecular tools targeting the most suitable indicators of fungal contamination; and (d) azole resistance screening to unveil azole resistance detection in fungal species.
AB - Monitoring campaigns in several buildings have shown that occupants exposed to contaminated indoor air generally exhibit diverse health symptoms. This study intends to assess settleable dust loading rates and bioburden in Portuguese dwellings by passive sampling onto quartz fiber filters and electrostatic dust cloths (EDCs), respectively. Settled dust collected by EDCs was analyzed by culture-based methods (including azole-resistance screening) and qPCR, targeting four different toxigenic Aspergillus sections (Flavi, Fumigati, Circumdati, and Nidulantes). Dust loading rates and bioburden showed higher variability in the summer season. In both seasons, Penicillium sp. was the one with the highest prevalence (59.1% winter; 58.1% summer), followed by Aspergillus sp. in winter (13.0%). Fungal contamination increased in the winter period, while bacterial counts decreased. Aspergillus sections Circumdati and Nidulantes, detected in voriconazole supplemented media, and Aspergillus sections Fumigati and Nidulantes, detected by molecular tools, were found in the winter samples. This study reinforces the importance of applying: (a) Passive sampling methods in campaigns in dwellings; (b) two different culture media (MEA and DG18) to assess fungi; (c) in parallel, molecular tools targeting the most suitable indicators of fungal contamination; and (d) azole resistance screening to unveil azole resistance detection in fungal species.
KW - Aspergillus sp
KW - Azole-resistance screening
KW - Bioburden
KW - Dwellings
KW - Indoor air quality
KW - Passive sampling methods
KW - Settleable dust
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85096597778&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/microorganisms8111799
DO - 10.3390/microorganisms8111799
M3 - Article
C2 - 33207843
AN - SCOPUS:85096597778
SN - 2076-2607
VL - 8
SP - 1
EP - 18
JO - Microorganisms
JF - Microorganisms
IS - 11
M1 - 1799
ER -