Airborne fungi isolated from Fortaleza city, State of Ceará, Brazil Fungos anemófilos isolados na cidade de Fortaleza, Estado do Ceará, Brasil

• Published in: Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo
• Main Authors: Everardo Albuquerque Menezes, Emerson C. Pereira Trindade, Maria Márcia Costa, Caio César Furtado Freire, Márcio de Souza Cavalcante, Francisco Afrânio Cunha
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade de São Paulo (USP) 2004
• Subjects: Airborne fungi; Allergic respiratory disease; Fungal allergens; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0036-46652004000300003; https://doaj.org/article/abe0cceac3bb49789188a1913ef5a73a

Airbone fungi are considered important causes of allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma. The knowledge of these fungi in a city or region is important for the ecological diagnosis and specific treatment of allergic manifestations induced by inhalation of fungal allergens. The airborne fungi of Fortaleza, State of Ceará, Brazil, were studied during a one year period. Five hundred and twenty Petri dishes with Sabouraud dextrose agar medium were exposed at ten different locations in the city. The dishes exposed yielded one thousand and five hundred and twenty one colonies of twenty four genera. The most predominants were: Aspergillus (44.7%), Penicillium (13.3%), Curvularia (9.8%), Cladosporium (6.8%), Mycelia sterilia (6.0%), Fusarium (3.5%), Rhizopus (3.1%), Drechslera (2.6%), Alternaria (2.4%) and Absidia (2.2%). The results shown that Aspergillus, Penicillium, Mycelia sterilia, Fusarium and Alternaria were found during all months in the year. Absidia was more frequent during the dry season. Anemophilous fungi and the high concentration of spores in the air are important because may result in an increased number of people with allergic respiratory disease. Fungos anemófilos são importantes causas de rinite e asma alérgicas. O conhecimento destes fungos em uma cidade ou região é importante para o diagnóstico e tratamento específico de manifestações alérgicas provocadas por inalação destes alérgenos. Os fungos anemófilos da cidade de Fortaleza, Estado do Ceará, Brasil, foram estudados no período de um ano. Quinhentos e vinte placas de Petri com meio ágar Sabouraud destrose foram expostas em 10 diferentes locais na cidade. Nas placas expostas foram isoladas 1.521 colônias de 24 gêneros diferentes. Os mais predominantes foram: Aspergillus (44,7%), Penicillium (13,3%), Curvularia (9,8%), Cladosporium (6,8%), Mycelia sterilia (6,0%), Fusarium (3,5%), Rhizopus (3,1%), Drechslera (2,6%), Alternaria (2,4%), e Absidia (2,2%). Os resultados revelaram que Aspergillus, Penicillium, Mycelia sterilia, Fusarium and Alternaria ...