Aeromycological analysis of allergenic airborne fungi in Qazvin, Iran

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Abstract

Background and Purpose:

Airborne fungi are one of the most important agents responsible for triggering allergicreactions such as rhinitis and severe asthma. This study was conducted to analyze and monitor the prevalence and distribution patterns of atmospheric fungal aerosols in the air of Qazvin during winter of 2012.

Materials and Methods:

In the current descriptive study, the incidence and diversity of potentially allergenic airborne fungi were determined using two times sampling interval in 25 different locations of Qazvin city by Petri dish trappingtechnique and exposure of 10- cm diameter plates of Sabouraud’s dextrose agar medium plus chloramphenicol to the air.

Results:

A total of 2867 fungal colonies were counted on 156 Petri dishes. Of the identified 18 microfungi genera, Cladosporium spp. was the most frequently isolated genera representing 30.9% of isolates, followed by 30.9% Penicillium spp. (27.3%), Aspergillus spp %) . (24.5 , Alternaria spp. (3.3%), Rhizopus spp. (3.1%), and other fungal genera.

Conclusion:

The high prevalence, high quantity and variety of allergenic airborne fungi in the air of Qazvin showed that people residing in this area are exposed to health hazards. Furthermore, reduction of exposure to bio-aerosols containing these outdoor fungi is necessary to improve the health of individuals, especially those sensitive to fungal-induced diseases like asthma.

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Most cited references 20

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Aspergillus fumigatus and aspergillosis.

J P Latgé (1999)

Aspergillus fumigatus is one of the most ubiquitous of the airborne saprophytic fungi. Humans and animals constantly inhale numerous conidia of this fungus. The conidia are normally eliminated in the immunocompetent host by innate immune mechanisms, and aspergilloma and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, uncommon clinical syndromes, are the only infections observed in such hosts. Thus, A. fumigatus was considered for years to be a weak pathogen. With increases in the number of immunosuppressed patients, however, there has been a dramatic increase in severe and usually fatal invasive aspergillosis, now the most common mold infection worldwide. In this review, the focus is on the biology of A. fumigatus and the diseases it causes. Included are discussions of (i) genomic and molecular characterization of the organism, (ii) clinical and laboratory methods available for the diagnosis of aspergillosis in immunocompetent and immunocompromised hosts, (iii) identification of host and fungal factors that play a role in the establishment of the fungus in vivo, and (iv) problems associated with antifungal therapy.

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The link between fungi and severe asthma: a summary of the evidence.

D W Denning, B R O'Driscoll, C M Hogaboam … (2006)

There is current evidence to demonstrate a close association between fungal sensitisation and asthma severity. Whether such an association is causal remains to be confirmed, but this is explored by means of a detailed literature review. There is evidence from two randomised controlled trials that, in the example of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA), treatment with systemic antifungal therapy can offer a therapeutic benefit to approximately 60% of patients. ABPA is only diagnosed if a combination of clinical and immunological criteria is achieved. It is not known whether such cases are a discrete clinical entity or part of a spectrum of the pulmonary allergic response to fungi or fungal products. This paper describes the epidemiological evidence that associates severity of asthma with fungi and discusses possible pathogenetic mechanisms. Many airborne fungi are involved, including species of Alternaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium and Penicillium, and exposure may be indoors, outdoors or both. The potential for a therapeutic role of antifungal agents for patients with severe asthma and fungal sensitisation is also explored. Not only are many patients with severe asthma desperately disabled by their disease, but, in the UK alone, asthma accounts for 1,500 deaths per yr. The healthcare costs of these patients are enormous and any treatment option merits close scrutiny. Within this report, the case for the consideration of a new term related to this association is put forward. The current authors propose the term "severe asthma with fungal sensitisation". However, it is recognised that enhanced and precise definition of fungal sensitisation will require improvements in diagnostic testing.

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Fungal allergens.

W E Horner, A Helbling, J Salvaggio … (1995)

Airborne fungal spores occur widely and often in far greater concentrations than pollen grains. Immunoglobulin E-specific antigens (allergens) on airborne fungal spores induce type I hypersensitivity (allergic) respiratory reactions in sensitized atopic subjects, causing rhinitis and/or asthma. The prevalence of respiratory allergy to fungi is imprecisely known but is estimated at 20 to 30% of atopic (allergy-predisposed) individuals or up to 6% of the general population. Diagnosis and immunotherapy of allergy to fungi require well-characterized or standardized extracts that contain the relevant allergen(s) of the appropriate fungus. Production of standardized extracts is difficult since fungal extracts are complex mixtures and a variety of fungi are allergenic. Thus, the currently available extracts are largely nonstandardized, even uncharacterized, crude extracts. Recent significant progress in isolating and characterizing relevant fungal allergens is summarized in the present review. Particularly, some allergens from the genera Alternaria, Aspergillus, and Cladosporium are now thoroughly characterized, and allergens from several other genera, including some basidiomycetes, have also been purified. The availability of these extracts will facilitate definitive studies of fungal allergy prevalence and immunotherapy efficacy as well as enhance both the diagnosis and therapy of fungal allergy.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Curr Med Mycol

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Curr Med Mycol

Journal ID (publisher-id): CMM

Title: Current Medical Mycology

Publisher: Iranian Society of Medical Mycology (Sari, Iran )

ISSN (Print): 2423-3439

ISSN (Electronic): 2423-3420

Publication date (Print): September 2016

Volume: 2

Issue: 3

Pages: 5-9

Affiliations

[1 ]Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran

[2 ]Psoriasis Research Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran

[3 ]Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran

Author notes

[* ]Corresponding author: Amir Hossein Maghsood, Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran. Email: a.h.maghsood@umsha.ac.ir

Article

DOI: 10.18869/acadpub.cmm.2.3.5

PMC ID: 5490283

SO-VID: a44ba4c9-333e-49e5-afa9-97be7fd56462

License:

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync/4.0/) which permits copy and redistribute the material just in noncommercial usages, provided the original work is properly cited.

History

Date received : 15 October 2016

Date revision received : 11 December 2016

Date accepted : 4 January 2017

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Aeromycological analysis of allergenic airborne fungi in Qazvin, Iran

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Abstract

Background and Purpose:

Materials and Methods:

Results:

Conclusion:

Related collections

Applied use of fungi

Most cited references 20

Aspergillus fumigatus and aspergillosis.

The link between fungi and severe asthma: a summary of the evidence.

Fungal allergens.

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Journal

Affiliations

Author notes

Article

History

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Cited by 4

Most referenced authors 300