Diversity and Distribution Patterns of Culturable  Airborne Fungi in Jiroft City

Mohadeseh  Kamali; Mehdi Taheri  Sarvtin

doi:10.18502/ijml.v10i4.15008

Mohadeseh Kamali Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Jiroft University of Medical Sciences, Jiroft, Iran
Mehdi Taheri Sarvtin Department of Medical Mycology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Jiroft University of Medical Sciences, Jiroft, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijml.v10i4.15008

Keywords: Airborne Distribution Diversity Fungi

Abstract

Background and Aims: Fungal spores constitute a significant portion of primary biological aerosol particles, and large amounts have been identified in the air. They are present in the atmosphere throughout the year, and their concentration varies due to meteorological factors such as temperature, relative humidity, location, construction conditions, and vegetation. Exposure to airborne fungi has been linked with diseases such as allergic respiratory symptoms, rhinitis, asthma, and various infections. This study investigates the diversity and distribution of airborne fungal spores in Jiroft City, located in the southern region of Iran.

Materials and Methods: Airborne fungal composition was sampled from indoor, outdoor, and hospital air using the sedimentation plate method. Grown fungi were identified using standard mycological techniques, including determining macroscopic and microscopic characteristics.

Results: A total of 230 colonies belonging to 11 genera of fungi were isolated from all culture media. Fungi were isolated from 53 (80.3%) samples. The highest and lowest percent of positive samples were found in outdoor (100%) and hospital (64.3%) air samples, respectively. Cladosporium (43.9%) and Aspergillus (36.4%) were the most common fungi isolated from the samples. Rhodotorula, Syncephalastrum, Paecilomyces, Mucor, and Acremonium were the least isolated fungi (1.5%).

Conclusion: This study showed the difference in the diversity and distribution of fungi in different environments. Cladosporium and Aspergillus were the most common fungi isolated, which need to be considered due to their ability to cause various diseases.