Report of the incidence of a new rare strain of Cladosporium species and incidence of three other Cladosporium species in the intramural environment of Bengaluru, India

The prevalence of airborne Cladosporium was investigated for seasonal occurrence in the internal environment (bedroom) in two adjacent localities of Bengaluru. The foremost objective was to study the fungal diversity in air by culturing it on nutrient media from April 2018 to March 2019. The incidence of airborne Cladosporium species exhibited significant deviation in the localities. The sampling exhibited the highest number of Cladosporium species in the winter. Cladosporium oxysporum showed the highest prevalence, followed by Cladosporium bruhnei, Cladosporium cladosporioides, and Cladosporium herbarum. The period with a highest value of CFUs (Colony Forming Units) concentration interrelated with seasonal distribution indoor aerofungi. The current study also involved the first time molecular characterization of a new rare strain of C. bruhnei obtained from the bedroom. Using 18S rDNA sequencing, the new strain (LP3CO) was identified. The sequence was submitted to the GenBank and an accession number was established. The major fungal species identified from the bedrooms were associated with the results obtained from fungal allergen detection tests carried out on respiratory allergy patients in a major hospital in Bengaluru.