Complete ListAUTHOR LNAME DATEAuthorsYearTitleLink to PublicationJournalVolIssueBeg pageEnd pageAbstractKeywordscitationCommentsEnv FactorsAll OrgsSubstratesAbdel Hameed 2011Abdel Hameed, Khode, Ibrahim, Saeed, Osman, Ghanem2011Study on some factors affecting survivability of airborne fungihttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969711012356Science of the Total Environment414696700The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of some air pollutants and meteorological parameters on the survivability of airborne fungi. Fungi were collected by using a slit impactor sampler calibrated to draw 20 L/min, for 3 min. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), particulate matter (PM), relative humidity (RH %), temperature (TC) and wind speed (WS) were also measured. Air samples were taken during the period from March 2006 to February 2007. Fungal concentrations ranged between 45 and 451 CFU/m3 with an annual mean concentration of 216 CFU/m3. The lowest fungal concentration was found in the summer, however the highest one was found in the autumn. NO2, SO2 and PM averaged 83.66 g/m3, 67.01 g/m3, and 237.69 g/m3, respectively. TC was positively and negatively correlated with Aspergillus (P=0.000) and Penicillium (P=0.007), respectively. RH% was positively correlated with total fungi (P=0.001), Aspergillus (P =0.002) and Cladosporium (P =0.047). Multiple regression analysis showed that TC and RH% were the most predicted variants. Non-significant correlations were found between fungal concentrations and air pollutants. Meteorological parameters were the critical factors affecting fungal survivability.Abdel Hameed, A.A., M.I. Khoder, Y.H. Ibrahim, Y. Saeed, M.E. Osman, S. Ghanem, 2011. Study on some factors affecting survivability of airborne fungi. Science of the Total Environment 414 (2012) 696700.samples taken from roofair pollutants, climate, T, RH, wind speed, seasonalityAspergillus Penicillium Alternaria Cladosporiumoutdoor airAbe 1993Abe1993A Method for Numerical Characterization of Indoor Climates by a Biosensor using a Xerophilic Fungushttp://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0668.1993.00018.x/abstractIndoor Air journal3344348A 'fungal index" is proposed as a new climate parameter for the characterization of the indoor environment. The index quantifies the environmental conditions in relation to the ability of fungi to grow by means of the response of a xerophilic fungus Eurotium herbariorum. The growth response of this fungus was found to be climate-dependent. The indoor environment in a residential building in Japan (1991-1992) was quantitatively assessed by this approach. In the assessment, the variation in microclimate, which differs greatly within and between rooms, could be demonstratedXerophilic fungi, Micro-climate, Assessment of indoor environment, Biosensor, Fungal indexAbe, Keiko, 1993. A Method for Numerical Characterization of Indoor Climates by a Biosensor using a Xerophilic Fungus. Indoor Air 1993, 3: 344-348.Temp, RH, building location, microclimate, timeEurotium herbariorumcultureAbe 2010Abe2010Assessment of the environmental conditions in a museum storehouse by use of a fungal indexhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0964830509001784International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation643240Fungal contamination (foxing) was detected on a painting stored in an art museum. The internal environments were assessed using a fungal index. The index is a biological climate-parameter, which represents the environmental capacity to allow fungal growth. To determine the index, fungal detectors encapsulating the spores of sensor fungi were placed at the site being examined. The growth response, germination of the spores and hyphal extension, of xerophilic sensor fungi was observed in the storehouse. The values of fungal index predicted propagation of fungi, although dehumidifiers were already in use. Next year, the number of dehumidifiers installed in the storehouse was increased from 3 to 8. After the number of dehumidifiers was increased, the indices were below the detectable limit in the storehouse indicating no fungal contamination will occur. The sensor fungi used in those assessments were five xerophilic and two non-xerophilic strains. In the assessment before countermeasures were taken, Aspergillus penicillioides showed the highest growth response among the sensor fungi in the fungal detector exposed in the room where the contaminated painting was stored. Eurotium herbariorum showed the highest growth response in other rooms. These two strains were selected as the sensor fungi for assessments of museum environments.Museum Storehouse Fungal index Fungal contamination FoxingAbe, K, 2010. Assessment of the environmental conditions in a museum storehouse by use of a fungal index. International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation 64 (2010) 3240.museum, RH, region, time, climateAspergillus penicillioides Eurotium herbariorum Eurotium amstelodami Wallemia sebi Cladosproium herbarumAbe 2011Abe2011Assessment of home environments with a fungal index using hydrophilic and xerophilic fungi as biologic sensorshttp://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0668.2011.00752.x/abstractIndoor Air journal22173185Previously, the author proposed a fungal index that quantifies the capacity for fungal growth in a test environment where a device (fungal detector) encapsulating spores of a xerophilic sensor fungus Eurotium herbariorum was placed. It was also found that an extremely xerophilic fungus, Aspergillus penicillioides, was suitable as a sensor fungus at sites with lower relative humidity (RH). In this report, the hydrophilic fungus Alternaria alternata was added to sensor fungi for the determination of the index in extremely humid environments. Measurements of the index and observations of the formation of spores by the sensor fungi were made in stable climates in moisture chambers, under natural conditions in homes, and in bathrooms prepared in an artificial climate chamber. Higher index values and earlier sporulation were obtained at higher RH in stable climates. The hydrophilic Alt. alternata showed the greatest response at 100% and 97.3% RH, the moderately xerophilic Eur. herbariorum, at 94%, 84%, and 75% RH, and the extremely xerophilic Asp. penicillioides, at 71% RH. In homes, the hydrophilic fungus was most active in water-usage areas, and the xerophilic fungi were most active in non-water-usage areas. Sporulation was observed on sensor fungi in fungal detectors placed in rooms where the index exceeded 18 ru/week after one-month exposure. Sites where the index exceeded 18 ru/week were referred to as damp, where fungal contamination seems to be unavoidable. Evaluations of ventilation systems in bathrooms with extremely humid climates showed typical examples of a countermeasure to fungal contamination.Fungal index; Fungi; Microclimate; Contamination; Dampness; Home environmentAbe, K, 2011. Assessment of home environments with a fungal index using hydrophilic and xerophilic fungi as biologic sensors. Indoor Air 2012; 22: 173185homes, microclimate, RH, dampnessEurotium herbariorium Aspergillus penicillioides Alternaria alternatachamberAbraham 2005Abraham, Gold, Dockery, Ryan, Park, Milton2005Within-Home versus Between-Home Variability of House Dust Endotoxin in a Birth Cohorthttp://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.7632Environmental Health Perspectives11315161521Endotoxin exposure has been proposed as an environmental determinant of allergen responses in children. To better understand the implications of using a single measurement of house dust endotoxin to characterize exposure in the first year of life, we evaluated room-specific within-home and between-home variability in dust endotoxin obtained from 470 households in Boston, Massachusetts. Homes were sampled up to two times over 5-11 months. We analyzed 1,287 dust samples from the kitchen, family room, and baby's bedroom for endotoxin. We fit a mixed-effects model to estimate mean levels and the variation of endotoxin between homes, between rooms, and between sampling times. Endotoxin ranged from 2 to 1,945 units per milligram of dust. Levels were highest during summer and lowest in the winter. Mean endotoxin levels varied significantly from room to room. Cross-sectionally, endotoxin was moderately correlated between family room and bedroom floor (r = 0.30), between family room and kitchen (r = 0.32), and between kitchen and bedroom (r = 0.42). Adjusting for season, the correlation of endotoxin levels within homes over time was 0.65 for both the bedroom and kitchen and 0.54 for the family room. The temporal within-home variance of endotoxin was lowest for bedroom floor samples and highest for kitchen samples. Between-home variance was lowest in the family room and highest for kitchen samples. Adjusting for season, within-home variation was less than between-home variation for all three rooms. These results suggest that room-to-room and home-to-home differences in endotoxin influence the total variability more than factors affecting endotoxin levels within a room over time.dust endotoxin, endotoxin, intraclass correlation, variance componentsAbraham JH, Gold DR, Dockery DW, Ryan L, Park J-H, Milton DK 2005. Within-Home versus Between-Home Variability of House Dust Endotoxin in a Birth Cohort. Environ Health Perspect 113:1516-1521room specific, home specificEndotoxin Endotoxin Endotoxinfamily room bedroom floor kitchen floorAdams 2013Adams, Miletto, Taylor, Bruns2013Dispersal in microbes: fungi in indoor air are dominated by outdoor air and show dispersal limitation at short distanceshttp://www.nature.com/ismej/journal/v7/n7/full/ismej201384a.htmlThe ISME Journal112The indoor microbiome is a complex system that is thought to depend on dispersal from the outdoor biome and the occupants microbiome combined with selective pressures imposed by the occupants behaviors and the building itself. We set out to determ