<abstract xml:lang="en" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">The aim of this study was to assess the volume of airborne fungi in the indoor and outdoor environment of poultry and cattle houses in the Mazandaran Province in Iran. Indoor and outdoor air of twenty cattle houses and twenty-five poultry houses were sampled using a single-stage impactor, which draws air at 20 L min-1 and impacts sampled material onto Petri plates containing malt extract agar. The plates were incubated at 30 °C for seven days, after which the resulting colonies were counted. The fungi were identified and counted microscopically and macroscopically. A total of 4,662 fungal colonies were isolated from 90 plates collected from indoor and outdoor air of cattle and poultry houses. <italic>Cladosporium</italic> (55.3 %), yeast (10.0 %), and <italic>Aspergillus</italic> (9.4 %) were the most common findings. The concentration of airborne fungi in cattle and poultry houses ranged from 10 CFU m-3 to 1700 CFU m-3 in indoor and 10 CFU m-3 to 2170 CFU m-3 in outdoor environments. <italic>Cladosporium</italic> had the highest mean indoor (424.5 CFU m-3) and outdoor (449.7 CFU m-3) air concentration in the cattle houses. In the poultry houses, the highest mean concentrations were measured for <italic>Cladosporium</italic> (551.0 CFU m-3) outdoors and yeast (440.7 CFU m-3) indoors. These levels might present an occupational risk, but threshold levels for these environments have yet to be established worldwide.</abstract>

The aim of this study was to assess the volume of airborne fungi in the indoor and outdoor environment of poultry and cattle houses in the Mazandaran Province in Iran. Indoor and outdoor air of twenty cattle houses and twenty-five poultry houses were sampled using a single-stage impactor, which draws air at 20 L min-1 and impacts sampled material onto Petri plates containing malt extract agar. The plates were incubated at 30 °C for seven days, after which the resulting colonies were counted. The fungi were identified and counted microscopically and macroscopically. A total of 4,662 fungal colonies were isolated from 90 plates collected from indoor and outdoor air of cattle and poultry houses. Cladosporium (55.3 %), yeast (10.0 %), and Aspergillus (9.4 %) were the most common findings. The concentration of airborne fungi in cattle and poultry houses ranged from 10 CFU m-3 to 1700 CFU m-3 in indoor and 10 CFU m-3 to 2170 CFU m-3 in outdoor environments. Cladosporium had the highest mean indoor (424.5 CFU m-3) and outdoor (449.7 CFU m-3) air concentration in the cattle houses. In the poultry houses, the highest mean concentrations were measured for Cladosporium (551.0 CFU m-3) outdoors and yeast (440.7 CFU m-3) indoors. These levels might present an occupational risk, but threshold levels for these environments have yet to be established worldwide.

Volumetric Assessment of Airborne Indoor and Outdoor Fungi at Poultry and Cattle Houses in the Mazandaran Province, Iran

Department of Mycology and Parasitology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Department of Medical Mycology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

Mycology Research Centre, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology

The aim of this study was to assess the volume of airborne fungi in the indoor and outdoor environment of poultry and cattle houses in the Mazandaran Province...

Volumetric Assessment of Airborne Indoor and Outdoor Fungi at Poultry and Cattle Houses in the Mazandaran Province, Iran

Published Online: Oct 04, 2011

Page range: 243 - 248

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/10004-1254-62-2011-2099

Keywords
Aspergillus, Cladosporium, gornje dopuštene razine, kvasac, profesionalne respiracijske bolesti

This content is open access.

Volumetric Assessment of Airborne Indoor and Outdoor Fungi at Poultry and Cattle Houses in the Mazandaran Province, Iran

Published Online: Oct 04, 2011

Page range: 243 - 248

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/10004-1254-62-2011-2099

KeywordsAspergillus, Cladosporium, gornje dopuštene razine, kvasac, profesionalne respiracijske bolesti

This content is open access.

Keywords
Aspergillus, Cladosporium, gornje dopuštene razine, kvasac, profesionalne respiracijske bolesti