Fungal propagules in house dust. II.

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  • Relation with residential characteristics and respiratory symptoms

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<jats:p>As part of a case‐control study on the relation between home dampness and respiratory symptoms of children, house‐dust samples were collected from bedroom floors and mattresses in 60 homes in The Netherlands. The house‐dust samples were analyzed for the presence of fungal propagules by plating 30 mg of dust directly onto DG18 agar. A checklist and questionnaire were used to obtain information on the home characteristics and occupant behavior that may have an effect on the presence of fungal propagules in house dust. The geometric mean (GM) number of colony‐forming units (CFU)/g dust collected from the floors was 8990. The number of CFU/g dust was significantly higher in dust from carpeted floors than in dust from smooth floors (GM, respectively, 12880 CFU/g dust and 3530 CFU/g dust). The GM number of CFU/g dust collected from mattresses was 6760. Overall, the mean numbers of CFU/g dust collected from floors and mattresses were higher in bedrooms where damp spots mold growth, or both were observed. However, these differences were not statistically significant. The relation between home characteristics and the number of CFU/g dust of the most frequently isolated mold species (<jats:italic>n</jats:italic>= 17), including <jats:italic>Alternaria alternata, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Penicillium brevicompactum</jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>Scopulariopsis brevicaulis</jats:italic>, was also investigated. Only the type of flooring had a significant and consistent effect on the number of CFU/g floor dust of the different mold species. For <jats:italic>P. brevicompactum,</jats:italic> the number of CFU/g floor dust was significantly higher in bedrooms where damp spots were observed. The number of CFU/g mattress dust of <jats:italic>S. brevicaulis</jats:italic> was also significantly higher for bedrooms where damp spots were observed. However, in view of the large number of statistical comparisons made, these two significant relationships might have been caused by chance alone. The total numbers of CFU/g mattress and floor dust were not related to the average relative indoor humidity measured over 6 weeks. Furthermore, there was no association between the presence of fungi in house dust and respiratory symptoms. We conclude that there was only a very weak relationship between the home characteristics and occupant behavior, as determined by checklist and questionnaire, and the presence of fungal propagules in floor dust and mattress dust. Only the type of flooring had a substantial and statistically significant effect on the presence of fungal propagules in floor dust. Therefore, the presence of fungal propagules in house dust cannot be predicted reliably by home characteristics.</jats:p>

収録刊行物

  • Allergy

    Allergy 49 (7), 540-547, 1994-08

    Wiley

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