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Allergenic fungal spores and hyphal fragments in the aerosol of Havana, Cuba

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Abstract

Fungal spores have a recognized allergenicity, but in recent years, fungal fragments have also been reported as inducers of Type I allergy. However, airborne hyphae are scarcely studied in tropical regions. The objective of this research was to analyze the fungal composition of the Havana aerosol during 2017 and 2018, emphasizing the presence of hyphae fragments. Air sampling was performed using a Lanzoni VPPS-2000 sampler. The fungal propagules collected were identified and counted following the recommendations of the Spanish Aerobiology Network in two longitudinal transepts of each daily slides. In 2017, the spore count and hyphae count were higher than in 2018 (108,607 spores and 3822 fungal fragments vs. 40,896 spores and 2268 fungal fragments). Cladosporium was the most abundant spore (77.2–76.6%), predominating in the month of May. Leptosphaeria ascospores were identified at lower levels (16.2–17.9%) but also abundant during May. The behavior of the hyphal fragments does not show great variations throughout the year. The contribution of this component to the aerosol ranged between 3.4 and 5.3% in 2017 and 2018, respectively. The intradiurnal periodicity showed a diurnal pattern for Cladosporium and nocturnal for Leptosphaeria, while the hyphae pattern does not show great variations. The temperature and relative humidity correlated with the concentration of the detected airborne fungi propagules. The composition of the fungal aerosol in Havana during the 2 years was characterized, including both spores and hyphal fragments, since both structures can be related to respiratory allergy pathologies.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Dr. Osvaldo Cuesta and MSc. Javier Bolufé of the Institute of Meteorology of Cuba (INSMET) for access to meteorological data, as part of the National Project P211LH007-017.

Funding

This investigation was part of the Cuban National Project P211LH007-017 “Caracterización aeromicológica de la atmósfera de La Habana: su impacto en la salud y la agricultura.”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and Virology, University of Havana, Havana, Cuba

    Michel Almaguer, Lilivet Díaz & Elayne Valdéz

  2. Department of Plant Biology and Soil Sciences, University of Vigo, Vigo, Spain

    María Fernández-González

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  1. Michel Almaguer
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  2. Lilivet Díaz
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  3. María Fernández-González
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  4. Elayne Valdéz
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Contributions

Michel Almaguer and Lilivet Díaz contributed to research concept and design, collection and/or assembly of data, data analysis and interpretation, writing the article, critical revision of the article and final approval of article. María Fernández-González contributed to data analysis and interpretation, writing the article, critical revision of the article and final approval of article. Elayne Valdéz contributed to collection and/or assembly of data.

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Correspondence to Michel Almaguer.

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Almaguer, M., Díaz, L., Fernández-González, M. et al. Allergenic fungal spores and hyphal fragments in the aerosol of Havana, Cuba. Aerobiologia 36, 441–448 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10453-020-09643-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10453-020-09643-x

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