Issue 1, 2006

Detection and quantification of Cladosporium in aerosols by real-time PCR

Abstract

Cladosporium is one of the most common airborne molds found in indoor and outdoor environments. Cladosporium spores are important aeroallergens, and prolonged exposure to elevated spore concentrations can provoke chronic allergy and asthma. To accurately quantify the levels of Cladosporium in indoor and outdoor environments, two real-time PCR systems were developed in this study. The two real-time PCR systems are highly specific and sensitive for Cladosporium detection even in a high background of other fungal DNAs. These methods were employed to quantify Cladosporium in aerosols of five different indoor environments. The investigation revealed a high spore concentration of Cladosporium (107 m−3) in a cow barn that accounted for 28–44% of the airborne fungal propagules. In a countryside house that uses firewood for heating and in a paper and pulp factory, Cladosporium was detected at 104 spores m−3, which accounted for 2–6% of the fungal propagules in the aerosols. The concentrations of Cladosporium in these three indoor environments far exceeded the medical borderline level (3000 spores m−3). In a power station and a fruit and vegetable storage, Cladosporium was found to be a minor component in the aerosols, accounted for 0.01–0.1% of the total fungal propagules. These results showed that monitoring Cladosporium in indoor environments is more important than in outdoor environments from the public health point of view. Cladosporium may not be the dominant fungi in some indoor environments, but its concentration could still be exceeding the threshold value for clinical significance. The methods developed in this study could facilitate accurate detection and quantification of Cladosporium for public health related risk assessment.

Graphical abstract: Detection and quantification of Cladosporium in aerosols by real-time PCR

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
05 Jul 2005
Accepted
26 Oct 2005
First published
09 Nov 2005

J. Environ. Monit., 2006,8, 153-160

Detection and quantification of Cladosporium in aerosols by real-time PCR

Q. Zeng, S. Westermark, Å. Rasmuson-Lestander and X. Wang, J. Environ. Monit., 2006, 8, 153 DOI: 10.1039/B509515H

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Spotlight

Advertisements