The analysis of mycological air pollution in selected rooms of student hostels

Introduction: Public rooms are characterised by different concentrations and species composition of fungi, depending on the particular purpuse which they serve and on their age. Aim of the study: The research objective was to evaluate the extent of mycological air pollution in selected student hostels at Wroclaw, through the determination of the species number and species composition of the fungi assemblages found there, using different culture media. Material and methods: Air samples were taken from 15 selected rooms of the student hostels at Wroclaw. To examine the air, the impact method was used in Air Ideal 3P sampler, using two different culture media: Sabouraud Agar and Czapek-Dox Agar. Results: Mycological air pollution analysis has shown that CFU (Colony Forming Unit) values for different culture media varied, and that in many cases these differences were statistically significant. For Sabouraud Agar the CFU values in 1 m3 ranged from 184 to 889, and for Czapek-Dox Agar – they were 139 to 978. The most ubiquitous fungi isolated from both the culture media were Aspergillus niger, Cladosporium herbarium and Candida albicans. The temperature in the rooms from which the air was sampled oscillated between 22.3 and 24.5°C, whereas their humidity was 35.5 to 49.2%. Conclusions: The applied culture medium does influence the species composition and quantity of the fungi isolated from the air, e.g. the Czapek-Dox Agar can be useful, to the greatest extent, for the isolation of yeast-like fungi, including human pathogens such as Candida spp. and Rhodotorula spp. In the studied rooms of the student hostels, the mycological pollution standards for the places of accommodation and for the public rooms have not been exceeded.