Spring Is Associated with Increased Total and Allergenic Fungal Concentrations in House Dust from a Pediatric Asthma Cohort in New York City

Details

• Personal Author:
  Acosta L ; Cochran SJ ; Dannemiller KC ; Divjan A ; Green, Brett J. ; Lemons, Angela R. ; Miller RL ; Perzanowski MS ; Rundle AG ; Sobek E
• Description:
  Introduction: Asthma and allergy symptoms vary seasonally due to exposure to environmental sources of allergen, including fungi. However, we need an improved understanding of seasonal influence on fungal exposures in the indoor environment. We hypothesized that concentrations of total fungi and allergenic species in vacuumed dust vary significantly by season. Objective: Assess seasonal variation of indoor fungi with greater implications related to seasonal asthma control. Methods: We combined next-generation sequencing with quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to measure concentrations of fungal DNA in indoor floor dust samples (n = 298) collected from homes participating in the New York City Neighborhood Asthma and Allergy Study (NAAS). Results: Total fungal concentration in spring was significantly higher than the other three seasons (p ≤ 0.005). Mean concentrations for 78% of fungal species were elevated in the spring (26% were significantly highest in spring, p < 0.05). Concentrations of 8 allergenic fungal species were significantly (p < 0.5) higher in spring compared to at least two other seasons. Indoor relative humidity and temperature were significantly highest in spring (p < 0.05) and were associated with total fungal concentration (R2 = 0.049, R2 = 0.11, respectively). Conclusion: There is significant seasonal variation in total fungal concentration and concentration of select allergenic species. Indoor relative humidity and temperature may underlie these associations. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollution, Indoor Asthma Asthma, Occupational Dust Fungi Humidity Hypersensitivity Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Allergens Allergies Author Keywords: Spring Dusts IEQ Indoor Indoor Environmental Quality Indoor Environments QPCR Relative Humidity Seasonal Factors Temperature Measurement

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• ISSN:
  0360-1323
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Tennessee ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  HELD - Health Effects Laboratory Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  226
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20066317
• Citation:
  Build Environ 2022 Dec; 226:109711
• Contact Point Address:
  Karen C. Dannemiller, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering, College of Engineering, Ohio State University, 491B Hitchcock Hall, 2070 Neil Ave, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
• Email:
  dannemiller.70@osu.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Building and Environment
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:242a7e8cee4329f27d6af222c0fbba1e482997bdae8db82359555dc84ad73551bb19dda3c51d358ec085fd1b3860a3607059dab90518247c2412774b3f5b3b00
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/212788/cdc_212788_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.60 MB ]