Comparison Of Two Techniques For The Detection Of Environmental Fungi In A University Campus

Fungal contamination in closed or open environments has been well reported. However, studies that address airborne spores trap methods are scarce. In this study, two techniques were evaluated to detect fungal spores in the environment of three buildings of campus of a university in the city of Cali, Colombia. The gravimetric method of spore trapping was compared with the volumetric method (Air Ideal 3P) using the Omeliansky formula to determine the spore abundance. Environmental sampling was performed quarterly for a period of 12 months using dichloran rose bengal chloramphenicol agar. A total of 64,497 CFU/m(3) were counted, of which 34,930 CFU/m(3) were isolated using the volumetric method and 29,567 CFU/m(3) using the gravimetric method. No significant statistical differences were observed between the two techniques (P = 0.0739). The predominant genera obtained with both methods were Cladosporium, Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Fusarium, which suggests that although the gravimetric method is not as efficient as the volumetric method, it is reliable in estimating environmental fungal contamination.