Abstract
The prevalence of asthma in Taiwan is one of the highest in Asia. Mold exposures have been linked to the development and exacerbation of asthma. A pilot study of mold populations in homes in Taipei, Taiwan, was conducted in the spring of 2014. Dust and air samples were collected from five homes with an asthmatic child and five from control homes. A combined, settled-dust sample was collected in the living room and bedroom in each home using a Swiffer™ cloth. The dust (5 mg) was analyzed for 36 molds using a DNA-based analysis, mold-specific quantitative PCR, and mold contamination was estimated using the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI) metric. The ERMI values were significantly (p = 0.03) greater in the homes of asthmatic children compared to the control homes, average 26.2 versus 17.4, respectively. Aspergillus ochraceus was found in significantly greater numbers in homes of asthmatic children compared to control homes. Air samples were collected in each home for 2 min (total 63 l of air) using the Burkard portable air sampler for agar plates fitted with malt extract agar plates. The plates were incubated at 25 °C for 5 days, and the resulting mold colonies were enumerated. Significantly higher total numbers of molds were cultured from the air in homes of asthmatics compared to control homes. Although this is a pilot study, it suggests that asthmatic children in Taipei, Taiwan, live in homes with significantly greater exposures to molds.
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Acknowledgments
This study was supported in part by the Taiwan National Science Council [Grants NSC98-2621-M-002-019 and NSC101-2621-M-002-002]; the Global Research Laboratory [Grant K21004000001-10AO500-00710] through the National Research Foundation funded by the South Korean Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology; and the National Taiwan University Hospital [Grant UN102-071].
Conflict of interest
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through its Office of Research and Development collaborated in the research described here. Although this work was reviewed by EPA and approved for publication, it may not necessarily reflect official EPA policy. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by the EPA for use. Since MSQPCR technology is patented by the US EPA, the agency has a financial interest in its commercial use.
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Chen, CH., Chao, H.J., Shen, WC. et al. Pilot study of mold in homes of asthmatic children in Taipei, Taiwan, using the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index. Aerobiologia 31, 213–218 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10453-014-9358-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10453-014-9358-y