Seasonal variability of airborne mold concentrations as related to dust in a coastal urban area in the Eastern Mediterranean

Recent studies have demonstrated that the amount of specific airborne mold types and their concentrations increase during dust events. This study investigates the seasonal variation of airborne mold concentrations before, during, and after the dust transport in an eastern Mediterranean coastal area, Izmir city, Turkey. A total of 136 airborne mold samples were collected between September 2020 and May 2021. Two different culture media, namely Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) and Malt-Extract Agar (MEA), were used for enumeration and genus-based identification of the airborne mold. In addition to culture media, the influences of air temperature, relative humidity, and particulate matter equal to or less than 10 µm (PM10) were also investigated seasonally. The HYSPLIT trajectory model and web-based simulation results were mainly used to determine dusty days. The mean total mold concentrations (TMC) on dusty days (543 Colony Forming Unit (CFU)/m3 on PDA and 668 CFU/m3 on MEA) were approximately 2–2.5 times higher than those on non-dusty days (288 CFU/m3 on PDA and 254 CFU/m3 on MEA) for both culture media. TMC levels showed seasonal variations (p < 0.001), indicating that meteorological parameters influenced mold concentrations and compositions. Some mold genera, including Cladosporium sp., Chrysosporium sp., Aspergillus sp., Bipolaris sp., Alternaria sp., and yeast, were found higher during dusty days than non-dusty days. Thus, dust event impacts levels and types of airborne molds and has implications for regions where long-range dust transport widely occurs

The effect of different incubation conditions and culture media on airbone bacteria and fungi level

The choice of culture media used for airborne bacteria and fungi sampling is the most critical factor that quantitatively affects the determination of bacteria and fungi. In this study, simultaneous bacterial and fungal samples were collected in the air of Izmir city center using eight different media types. Bacterial samples were collected on Columbia blood agar (CBA), Chocolate agar (Choc), Tryptone Glucose Yeast Extract Agar (TGEA), Reasoners 2A agar (R2A) and Plate Count Agar (PCA) media, and these samples were conditioned at two different incubation temperatures and periods. The growth of bacteria was followed at 37 C-degrees for 2 days and at 50 C-degrees between 2 and 15 days. Malt-Extract Agar (MEA), Dichloran Rose Bengal Chloramphenicol (DRBC) and Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) media were used for fungi samples. All fungal samples were incubated at 25 C-degrees for 3-7 days. At the end of the incubation period, the number of colonies and total bacteria and fungi concentrations was determined. The incubation temperature was determined to affect the total bacteria concentrations in other media except for PCA (p>0.05). Cladosporium sp was the most frequently observed genus in fungal samples collected on three media. In terms of colony numbers, the media were sorted as PDA>MEA>DRBC. Among the fungi, the number of colonies of Chrysosporium sp. formed in the MEA medium was approximately ten times higher than in PDA and DRBC. The order of the maximum number of isolated fungi in the media used for the samples collected simultaneously is MEA>DRBC>PDA. This research is the first study to determine the concentrations of stable bacteria and fungi that can withstand extreme conditions (50 C-degrees) under different incubation conditions, as it will guide future airborne microorganism sampling in urban areas with the variety of media and incubation conditions it has examined. In addition, this study is also important because the World Health Organization has invited countries to fight against the threat of Antimicrobial Resistance in recent years

Papirüs Dergisi

Ankara : İhsan Doğramacı Bilkent Üniversitesi İktisadi, İdari ve Sosyal Bilimler Fakültesi, Tarih Bölümü, 2017.This work is a student project of the The Department of History, Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences, İhsan Doğramacı Bilkent University.by Ünsal, Mehmet Süha

A long-term multi-parametric monitoring study: Indoor air quality (IAQ) and the sources of the pollutants, prevalence of sick building syndrome (SBS) symptoms, and respiratory health indicators

Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) can cause several respiratory diseases and symptoms. In this study, IAQ of 121 homes located in 3 different towns of Canakkale, Turkey was monitored throughout a year. Target air pollutants were particulate matter, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), bioaerosols, and Carbon dioxide (CO2), as well as air temperature and humidity. Moreover, pulmonary functions of the occupants were measured on a monthly basis. Also, occurrence of sick building syndrome (SBS) symptoms and other health related data were gathered from the occupants by a detailed questionnaire. The SBS is a situation related to indoor air pollution in which the occupants of a building experience health or comfort related adverse effects that appear to be associated directly to the time spent in the "sick" building. Results of this study showed that the highest indoor air pollutant levels were observed in Can town and the lowest levels were observed in Central town. Indoor levels of bioaerosols, particulate matter, benzene, Cladosporium spp., and Penicillium spp. as well as pulmonary functions of the occupants showed statistically significant differences between the locations of the homes (p < 0.001). Factor analysis implied that both indoor and outdoor originated sources contributed to IAQ. Even though the predominant SBS symptoms varied seasonally and spatially among the study sites, fatigue, cold-flu like symptoms, and difficulty in concentration occurred frequently. Correlations were found among the occurrence of SBS symptoms, measured IAQ parameters, and personal factors (p < 0.05). Performing more studies from the health and IAQ points of view improve public awareness