Airborne Fungi in the Atmosphere in Beyazıt Square, Istanbul, Turkey

Abstract

This study aimed at determining the airborne fungal concentration and genera/species diversity (especially potential allergens and opportunist pathogenic species) in Beyazit Square, Istanbul, where people congregate heavily, between September 2012 and August 2013. Air samples were collected each month using a volumetric air sampling device. Dichloran glycerol 18 agar (DG-18) and malt extract agar (MEA) were used for isolation, and the traditional morphologic diagnosis method enabled naming the fungal isolates at genera and species levels. The average minimum and maximum fungal concentrations in the DG-18 were found to be 10–705 CFU/m³ and in the MEA, 20–710 CFU/m³. The highest fungal concentrations were recorded in the fall season. The most populated airborne fungi were Cladosporium, Penicillium, and Alternaria, but the most isolated fungal species were, in descending order, Cladosporium sphaerospermum, Alternaria alternata, and Penicillium brevicompactum. Many fungal species that can cause asthma and allergic respiratory tract infections were also isolated. For people sensitive to fungal spores, the determination of fungal flora in their locality is very important. This study’s results might play a leading role in providing support to existing knowledge, as well as in human protection and treatment.

Keywords

• Airborne fungi
• Alternaria
• Cladosporium
• Istanbul
• volumetric air sampling

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