Profile and distribution characteristics of culturable airborne fungi in residential homes with children in Beijing, China

Abstract

A survey was conducted to evaluate the characteristics of airborne fungi in 31 residential homes in Beijing that housed children. Indoor fungal concentrations in the homes ranged from 62 to 3498 colony forming units (CFU)/m3 (mean 837 CFU/m3). A total of 225 fungal isolates belonging to 24 genera and 65 species were identified in the air. The most common fungi were Penicillium, Cladosporium, Aspergillus, and Alternaria based on concentration proportion and frequency. Approximately 40% of the total number of isolated fungal species belonged to Penicillium, which represented the maximum proportion of the total fungal concentration at ∼32%, followed by Cladosporium, Aspergillus, non-sporing fungi, Monilia, and Alternaria. The most frequently ocurring fungal species were Cladosporium cladosporioides (8.44%), Penicillium chrysogenum (5.33%) and Penicillium funiculosum (4.89%). Fungal concentrations in residential homes with a male child were significantly higher than those with a female child (** P < 0.01). The highest fungal concentration was detected in summer, followed by spring and autumn, and the lowest was in winter (** P < 0.01). These results provide a database of airborne fungi exposure in Beijing homes, and suggest that the gender of children in residences has a significant influence on both the concentration and composition of airborne fungi.