Indoor house dust-borne fungi and risk of allergic respiratory diseases in Baghdad city

Background. - Indoor allergens are important components of airborne allergens, and studies have linked allergic respiratory diseases (ARDs) and exposure to aeroallergens. Objectives. - This study sought to identify fungi in house dust from four regions in Baghdad city, and to assess the risks of ARD and asthma associated with indoor fungi. Methods. - House dust was collected from 84 homes located in four major areas in Baghdad; locations 1, 2, 3 and 4 (north, west, south-west and south of Baghdad, respectively). The dust samples were cultured to identify fungal genera. Results. - Seventy-nine mold isolates belong to nine genera (Aspergillus, Rhizopus, Penicillium, Chrysonilia, Mucor, Fusarium, Cladosporium, Alternaria and Helminthosporium), as well as five yeast isolates, were identified. Aspergillus was the most common type of mold (56.0%), whileAlternaria and Helminthosporium were the least frequent (each with 1%). The distribution of these fungi showed variation according to location, but the difference was not significant. ARD in general and asthma in particular were detected in 50.0 and 14.3% of households, respectively. Both types of allergy were significantly associated with mold genera and with the number of households and rooms, as well as the availability of gardens and trees. Conclusions. - The study indicated that fungi are significant indoor determinants of ARD and asthma in the city of Baghdad.