Aeromicota viable de la atmósfera de La Habana, Cuba

Abstract

A study of the atmospheric fungal content of Havana (Cuba) was conducted for two years (November 2010 to October 2012), using a volumetric sampler (Aeroscope Chirana) with malt extract agar medium. During the 88 samplings 57156 UFC/m3 have been counted, whose maximum levels were recorded in the months of January and February of both years. The most abundant and frequent genus was Cladosporium, followed by Aspergillus, Penicillium, Curvularia, Fusarium and Alternaria. Cladosporium concentrations remained higher during the second year of study. Aspergillus predominated during the rainy season (May to October) of the second year, while Penicillium prevailed during the rainy season the first year. The concentrations of Alternaria and Fusarium, were higher during the first year, with monthly highs in April and February 2011, respectively. The most significant meteorological parameter was the relative humidity, which had a positive influence on both Cladosporium genus and the total fungi concentration. Cladosporium cladosporioides species showed the highest relative frequency, followed by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger. These results provide information on the temporal variation of airborne fungal propagules with prospects use to optimize care and quality of life of patients with allergic response.