Airborne fungal spore content in the atmosphere of the city

MALLO, A.C; NITIU, D.S; GARDELLA SAMBETH, M.C

AEROBIOLOGIA

SPRINGER

Año: 2010 p. 77 - 84

0393-5965

The aim of this paper is to present the first aeromycological study of the atmosphere of the city of La Plata. Air samples were taken using a Hirst-type volumetric spore-trap sampler (Lanzoni s.r.l, model VPPS 2000, Bologna, Italy) for a period of a year. Seventy-nine morphological types of spores belonging to the divisions Myxomycota, Zygomycota, Oomycota, Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, as well as anamorphs of Higher Fungi were identified. A total of 171,670.21 spores/m³ were recorded, with a daily mean of 540 spores/m³. The spores were present throughout the year the study was carried out. However, there was a wide daily fluctuation in the concentration values with a tendency towards an increase during the summer months. The groups were classified in 3 categories: abundant, having 5 spore types; moderate having 12 types; and low, with 42 morphological types which represent 67.2%, 24.2%, and 8.6% respectively. The taxa with the most occurrence were: Cladosporium, Lepthosphaeria Group, Coprinus and Agaricus, the first two taxa having a high frequency during the period. This scientific research reveals a great diversity of morphological types in this outdoor environment, showing a strong dominance of the Imperfect Fungi, whose components show seasonal fluctuations.