Abstract
Twelve fungi were isolated and identified from air-conditioned rooms. Of the 12, 7 were species of Aspergillus, viz. A. niger, A. oryzae, A. fumigatus, A. terreus, A. nidulans, A. versicolor and A. parasiticus. Other fungi were Penicillium citrinum, Fusarium oxysporum, Trichoderma viride, Neurospora crassa and Alternaria alternata. A. niger was present in 80% of the locations. Some of the fungi isolated in this study could be opportunistic fungal pathogens, like A. fumigatus, A. niger and Penicillium citrinum, and were found to be allergenic. Results of this study indicate that air-conditioned rooms could be reservoirs of fungi and may cause allergic problems or infections in healthy or immunocompromised individuals living in these environments.
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C.M. and I.K.K. are grateful to CSIR and MoEF, New Delhi, for financial support.
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Khan, A.A.H., Karuppayil, S.M., Manoharachary, C. et al. Isolation, identification and testing for allergenicity of fungi from air-conditioned indoor environments. Aerobiologia 25, 119–123 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10453-009-9114-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10453-009-9114-x