A study of fungal spore poupulations in the atmosphere of Kuwait

Moustafa, A.F.; Kamel, Susan M.

doi:10.1007/bf00491201

Cited by 54 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…This is being further investigated. For the other fungi, the results appear to be consistent with local aerobiologic data which showed that the spores of Cladosporium , Aspergillus and Alternaria are most frequently trapped in Kuwait [18, 29]with two seasonal peaks in March to April and November. In one study, the mean daily spore count was reported to range from 1,200/m 3 air for Cladosporium to 200/m 3 air for Alternaria [29].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

“…On the other hand, Sporik et al [17]found that animal danders rather than house dust mites were the allergens most frequently associated with asthma in the dry, high-altitude areas of New Mexico. Although the spores of some of the ubiquitous moulds such as Cladosporium , Penicillium and Aspergillus have been regularly trapped from the outdoor air of Kuwait [18], their role in allergic sensitization and association with allergic respiratory diseases have not been studied,…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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IgE-Mediated Sensitization to Mould Allergens among Patients with Allergic Respiratory Diseases in a Desert Environment

Ezeamuzie¹,

Al-Ali²,

Khan³

et al. 2000

Int Arch Allergy Immunol

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Background: The importance of fungal allergens in the development of allergic diseases in a desert environment is uncertain. This study evaluated the prevalence of IgE sensitization to moulds among patients with allergic respiratory diseases in Kuwait – a desert country. Methods: A total of 810 patients (male:female ratio 1.4) with a mean age of 32.3 years (range 2–76 years) with extrinsic asthma or allergic rhinitis were studied. Sera from the patients were tested by the CAP-RAST method for specific IgE to 6 fungi (Penicillium, Cladosporium, Aspergillus, Candida, Alternaria and Helminthosporium). For comparison house dust mite and Bermuda grass were also assessed. Results: The overall positivity to at least one mould was 20.9%. Among 120 matched control subjects, the value was 5.8%. The value was much higher among patients with asthma alone (45.8%) or both asthma and rhinitis (28.3%) than those with rhinitis alone (11.8%; p < 0.001). Asthmatic children had the highest sensitization rate (66.0% in the 7- to 12-year age group), which declined sharply with age. Among asthmatics, Candida and Aspergillus had the highest sensitization rates (23.1 and 21.3%, respectively), followed by Helminthosporium (18.8%), Cladosporium (15.9%), Alternaria (14.6%) and Penicillium (13.9%). The values for mite and Bermuda grass were 41.2 and 54.6%, respectively. Among asthmatic children, severe asthma was significantly more frequent among mould-positive (51.6%) than mould-negative patients (17.5%; p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Even in this desert environment, sensitization to moulds is quite common among patients with allergic respiratory diseases, with a striking preponderance among children with asthma. Mould allergy could also be an important factor determining asthma severity in this environment.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

IgE-Mediated Sensitization to Mould Allergens among Patients with Allergic Respiratory Diseases in a Desert Environment

Ezeamuzie¹,

Al-Ali²,

Khan³

et al. 2000

Int Arch Allergy Immunol

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“…This is similar to another study conducted in the KSA by Kwassi and his coworkers, which reported that the most abundant fungal genera in sandstorm dust were Alternaria, Aspergillus, and Cladosporium [8]. These predominant genera were comparable with other research reports relating to the Middle East countries of Kuwait and Qatar [18,19]. For example, the most prevalent fungal genera in airborne dust samples collected from the atmosphere of Taif, KSA, were (31 genera and 70 species) Aspergillus, Drechslera, Fusarium, Mucor, Penicillium, Phoma, and Stachybotrys [20].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

A study of airborne fungal allergens in sandstorm dust in Al-Zulfi, Central region of Saudi Arabia

Vijayakumar¹,

Aboody²,

Alturaiki³

et al. 2017

J Environ Occup Sci

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Background: The impact of sandstorm dust events on local air quality and public health are becoming a greater concern in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Among sandstorm dust particles, airborne fungal spores cause serious respiratory ailments to those who are exposed to the dust. Although the study of dust storm material has attracted research interest, little work has been carried out in Saudi Arabia and no major study has been conducted in the Al-Zulfi, Riyadh province region. Hence, the aim of the study was to investigate airborne fungal allergen concentrations in sandstorm dust in the Al-Zulfi city, Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: During the study period, 12 sandstorm dust samples and 3 control samples were collected from various locations (educational campus, people gathering, and recreational places) by gravitational plate exposure method using Sabouraud dextrose agar. Following incubation, the fungal colonies were identified by microscopic and morphological identification. Results: A total of 2590 fungal isolates were identified among 36 exposures of sandstorm dust samples. From the samples dematiaceous fungi and hyaline fungi were observed, divided 56.2%, 43.8%, respectively. The incidences of predominant fungal genera were Fusarium (21%), Cladosporium (15.8%), Ulocladium (11.1%), Aspergillus (10.9%), and Alternaria (8.6%). Conclusion: Our observations infer that some of the most important allergenic fungal spores are predominantly observed in sandstorm dust samples and incidences of dematiaceous fungi are higher than hyaline fungi. This study highlights the need for precautionary safety measures to protect the public against sandstorm dust exposures.

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“…Similar observations were documented in many other countries as well [7][8][9]12,14,28,29]. The top five genera of fungi spores in our study were Cladosporium (16.45%), Ustilago (13.04%), Alremaria (11.41%), Holminthsporium (11.37%) and Uredinales (9.54%).…”

Section: Comparison Of Airborne Fungi In Shenzhen University and Othesupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Fungi variety and concentration depends on various factors, including topography, time of day, meteorological parameters, seasonal climatic variation and type of vegetation [6][7]. Extensive investigations of airborne fungi had been done in many parts of the world [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. In China, such studies had been done in different provinces [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%