Indoor airborne fungal spores and home characteristics in asthmatic children from Edirne region of Turkey.
BACKGROUND
The contribution of indoor fungal exposure to childhood asthma is not completely clear.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate airborne fungal flora within the homes of asthmatic and control children, and to assess the influence of housing characteristics regarding indoor fungi.


METHODS
Forty-seven atopic asthmatic and 23 nonatopic control children were studied. Allergen sensitivity was determined by skin prick tests. A thorough assessment, using a questionnaire and inspection surveys, was carried out. Home visits were made between October 2000 and February 2001. Samples of airborne fungal spores were collected from four rooms by the "open Petri dish" method. Indoor temperature and humidity were measured.


RESULTS
The total indoor fungal colony counts from the living rooms and bedrooms were significantly higher in the asthma group than in controls (p = .012 and p = .003, respectively). The most commonly isolated genus was Cladosporium. Twelve of the asthmatic patients (25.53 %) were found to be sensitive to fungal allergens. The factors found to be associated with indoor fungal growth in logistic regression were visible fungal patches in the bathrooms [(odds ratio (OR) = 5.75; 95 % CI 1.19 to 27.70)], and the age of the house [OR = 4.24; 95 % CI 1.34 to 13.45]. Total fungal colony numbers did not correlate with indoor temperature or humidity.


CONCLUSIONS
Fungal colony numbers were higher in the homes of asthmatic children than in those of controls. Therefore, indoor fungal exposure may contribute to childhood asthma. Bathrooms were the main source of fungal propagules. Old houses were more prone to fungal growth.
Department of Pediatrics, Trakya University Faculty of Medicine, Edirne, Turkey. yazicioglu@superonline.com
M
M
Yazicioglu
A
A
Asan
U
U
Ones
U
U
Vatansever
B
B
Sen
M
M
Ture
M
M
Bostancioglu
O
O
Pala
D000293:Adolescent; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor; D000485:Allergens; D000946:Antigens, Fungal / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005658:Fungi / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006792:House Calls; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012882:Skin Tests; D013172:Spores, Fungal; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology
D000485:Allergens; D000946:Antigens, Fungal