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Incidence of Allergenically Significant Fungal Aerosol in a Rural Bakery of West Bengal, India
Mycopathologia (2000)
  • Atin Adhikari, Georgia Southern University
  • Moon M. Sen, Bose Institute
  • Swati Gupta-Bhattacharya, Bose Institute
  • Sunirmal Chanda, Bose Institute
Abstract
The frequency of fungal spores in the air of three different sections of a rural bakery was analyzed using a Burkard personal slide sampler and Andersen two stage viable sampler. In average concentration of spores (No./m3) was 228–26770/m3 and concentration of viable colony forming units (CFU/m3) was 65-2061 CFU/m3. Dominant fungus species both culturable and nonculturable, were species of Aspergillus and Penicillium, Cladosporiumsp., Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Penicillium citrinum and Alternaria alternata. Seasonal variations in the spore concentrations were clearly observed in case of some fungi. Total culturable mould concentration of different bakery sections sometimes exceeded the acceptable limit for a healthy indoor environment. Antigenic extracts prepared from some dominant culturable fungi showed high level of allergenicity in skin prick tests indicating that they could be responsible for allergic respiratory dysfunction of bakery workers.
Publication Date
August, 2000
DOI
10.1023/A:1007171420410
Citation Information
Atin Adhikari, Moon M. Sen, Swati Gupta-Bhattacharya and Sunirmal Chanda. "Incidence of Allergenically Significant Fungal Aerosol in a Rural Bakery of West Bengal, India" Mycopathologia Vol. 149 Iss. 1 (2000) p. 35 - 45 ISSN: 1573-0832
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/atin_adhikari/133/