Full Paper
Mycofloral study of house dust in indoor environments of apartment dwellings
1998 Volume 39 Issue 2 Article ID: jjom.H09-45
Details
1998 Volume 39 Issue 2 Article ID: jjom.H09-45
A total of 19,716 strains of microfungi were isolated and identified from 533 samples of house dust collected in nine homes. The dust samples were collected monthly for one year using the home-owner's vacuum cleaner fitted with a new collection bag. The average colony counts of microfungi from the total surveyed sites were 9.2×104 CFU/g of dust. Molds belonging to the Deuteromycota were the most frequent group detected in dust (59.4% of the total fungi). Penicillium (1.2×104 CFU/g), Phoma (7.7×103 CFU/g) and Cladosporium (7.0×103 CFU/g) were frequently isolated and revealed important concentrations in the dust samples. Fungal colony counts in the house dust were higher in spring and midsummer, the peak periods being March-April and August.
The sterilizing effect of microwave irradiation on fungal contamination in the flooring was evaluated by the dilution plate method using dust samples from the treated materials. Within one or two months after the irradiation, the colony counts of surviving microfungi increased and recovered to the contamination level before the treatment.
