Biomaterial Database

[The prevalence of bacterial and fungal aerosol in homes, offices and ambient air of Upper Silesia. Preliminary results]. 1997

D O Lis, and J S Pastuszka, and R L Górny

Zakład Higieny Mieszkań, Instytut Medycyny Pracy, Sosnowiec.

Quantitative criteria of microbiological air quality in homes and offices are needed for practical reasons. The purpose of this study was to obtain the preliminary characteristic of bacterial and fungal aerosols in healthy buildings. It was analysed the concentrations levels and size distributions of the investigated bioaerosols. The obtained data can be treated as a first step in the direction of determining so called normal level for different bioaerosols in homes and offices in Poland. The concentrations of airborne bacteria and fungi were measured using 6-stage Andersen impactor. The Trypcase Soy Agar were applied for bacteria and 2% Malt Extract Agar for fungi. The bacteria samples were incubated for 2 days at 37 degrees C and the fungi samples respectively for 4 days at 25 degrees C. The indoor levels of bacterial aerosol (homes: 212-888 cfu/m3, offices: 136-542 cfu/m3) were higher than the outdoor levels (respectively: 42-386 cfu/m3 and 13-115 cfu/m3). The fungal aerosol concentrations were lower indoors (homes: 81-383 cfu/m3, offices: 18-133 cfu/m3) than outdoors (94-625 cfu/m3). There were distinctly higher concentrations of the investigated bioaerosols in homes than in offices. The aerodynamic diameter of most bacterial particles were higher than 7 microns, both in indoor air (homes: 57-260 cfu/m3, offices 19-118 cfu/m3) and outdoor air (respectively: 9-145 cfu/m3 and 0-71 cfu/m3). The maximum for fungal spore levels were observed in the size range 3.3-4.7 and 2.1-3.3 microns in the instance of homes (respectively: 12-155 cfu/m3 and 19-154 cfu/m3) and in the size range 2.1-3.3 microns in the instance of offices (6-55 cfu/m3). Largest numbers of this bioaerosol in outdoor air were isolated in the size range 2.1-3.3 microns (25-208 cfu/m3). Although there are some proposals for an upper limit of the normal indoor concentration of airborne bacteria and fungi, but due to different climate and housing conditions we can expect other normal range of fungal and bacterial aerosol in Polish homes.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D011044	Poland	A country in central Europe, east of Germany. The capital is Warsaw.	Polish People's Republic,Republic of Poland
D005658	Fungi	A kingdom of eukaryotic, heterotrophic organisms that live parasitically as saprobes, including MUSHROOMS; YEASTS; smuts, molds, etc. They reproduce either sexually or asexually, and have life cycles that range from simple to complex. Filamentous fungi, commonly known as molds, refer to those that grow as multicellular colonies.	Fungi, Filamentous,Molds,Filamentous Fungi,Filamentous Fungus,Fungus,Fungus, Filamentous,Mold
D000336	Aerosols	Colloids with a gaseous dispersing phase and either liquid (fog) or solid (smoke) dispersed phase; used in fumigation or in inhalation therapy; may contain propellant agents.	Aerosol
D000391	Air Microbiology	The presence of bacteria, viruses, and fungi in the air. This term is not restricted to pathogenic organisms.	Microbiology, Air
D000393	Air Pollutants	Any substance in the air which could, if present in high enough concentration, harm humans, animals, vegetation or materials. Substances include GASES; PARTICULATE MATTER; and volatile ORGANIC CHEMICALS.	Air Pollutant,Air Pollutants, Environmental,Environmental Air Pollutants,Environmental Pollutants, Air,Air Environmental Pollutants,Pollutant, Air,Pollutants, Air,Pollutants, Air Environmental,Pollutants, Environmental Air
D000395	Air Pollutants, Occupational	Toxic air-borne matter related to work performed They are usually produced by the specific nature of the occupation.	Occupational Air Pollutants,Pollutants, Occupational Air
D001419	Bacteria	One of the three domains of life (the others being Eukarya and ARCHAEA), also called Eubacteria. They are unicellular prokaryotic microorganisms which generally possess rigid cell walls, multiply by cell division, and exhibit three principal forms: round or coccal, rodlike or bacillary, and spiral or spirochetal. Bacteria can be classified by their response to OXYGEN: aerobic, anaerobic, or facultatively anaerobic; by the mode by which they obtain their energy: chemotrophy (via chemical reaction) or PHOTOTROPHY (via light reaction); for chemotrophs by their source of chemical energy: CHEMOLITHOTROPHY (from inorganic compounds) or chemoorganotrophy (from organic compounds); and by their source for CARBON; NITROGEN; etc.; HETEROTROPHY (from organic sources) or AUTOTROPHY (from CARBON DIOXIDE). They can also be classified by whether or not they stain (based on the structure of their CELL WALLS) with CRYSTAL VIOLET dye: gram-negative or gram-positive.	Eubacteria
D015169	Colony Count, Microbial	Enumeration by direct count of viable, isolated bacterial, archaeal, or fungal CELLS or SPORES capable of growth on solid CULTURE MEDIA. The method is used routinely by environmental microbiologists for quantifying organisms in AIR; FOOD; and WATER; by clinicians for measuring patients' microbial load; and in antimicrobial drug testing.	Agar Dilution Count,Colony-Forming Units Assay, Microbial,Fungal Count,Pour Plate Count,Spore Count,Spread Plate Count,Streak Plate Count,Colony Forming Units Assay, Microbial,Colony Forming Units Assays, Microbial,Agar Dilution Counts,Colony Counts, Microbial,Count, Agar Dilution,Count, Fungal,Count, Microbial Colony,Count, Pour Plate,Count, Spore,Count, Spread Plate,Count, Streak Plate,Counts, Agar Dilution,Counts, Fungal,Counts, Microbial Colony,Counts, Pour Plate,Counts, Spore,Counts, Spread Plate,Counts, Streak Plate,Dilution Count, Agar,Dilution Counts, Agar,Fungal Counts,Microbial Colony Count,Microbial Colony Counts,Pour Plate Counts,Spore Counts,Spread Plate Counts,Streak Plate Counts