title: Association between Outdoor Fungal Concentrations during Winter and Pulmonary Function in Children with and without Asthma.
abstract: Outdoor fungi are important components of airborne particulate matter (PM). However, the associations between pulmonary function and outdoor fungi are less well known compared to other airborne PM constituents. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between outdoor fungi and pulmonary function in children. Morning peak expiratory flow (PEF) rates were measured daily in 339 schoolchildren (including 36 with asthma), aged 10 to 12, 2 to 27 February 2015. Airborne PM was collected on filters, using a high volume air sampler, each day during the study period. The daily concentration of outdoor fungi-associated PM was calculated using a culture-based method. A linear mixed model was used to estimate the association between PEF values and daily concentrations of outdoor fungi, and the daily levels of suspended PM (SPM) and PM ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5). An increase in the interquartile range (46.2 CFU/m³) for outdoor fungal concentration led to PEF changes of -1.18 L/min (95% confidence interval, -2.27 to -0.08) in all children, 1.22 L/min (-2.96 to 5.41) in children without asthma, and -1.44 L/min (-2.57 to -0.32) in children with asthma. Outdoor fungi showed a significant negative correlation with PM2.5 levels (r = -0.4, p = 0.04), but not with SPM (r = ‒0.3, p = 0.10) levels. Outdoor fungi may be associated with pulmonary dysfunction in children. Furthermore, children with asthma may show greater pulmonary dysfunction than those without asthma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine and Rheumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, 36-1 Nishi-Cho, Yonago 683-8504, Japan. watanabm@grape.med.tottori-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Masanari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.affiliation: Department of Data Science, Institute of Statistical Mathematics, 10-3 Midori-Cho, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190-8562, Japan. noma@ism.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Hisashi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Noma
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine and Rheumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, 36-1 Nishi-Cho, Yonago 683-8504, Japan. junkurajun@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kurai
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine and Rheumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, 36-1 Nishi-Cho, Yonago 683-8504, Japan. degujirefu@med.tottori-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Degejirihu
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hantan
authors.affiliation: Division of School of Health Science, Department of Pathobiological Science and Technology, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, 36-1 Nishi-Cho, Yonago 683-8504, Japan. burioka@med.tottori-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Naoto
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Burioka
authors.affiliation: Division of School of Health Science, Department of Pathobiological Science and Technology, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, 36-1 Nishi-Cho, Yonago 683-8504, Japan. naka827@grape.med.tottori-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Sachiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakamoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Faculty of Medicine, Kinki University, Ohnohigashi 377-2, Osakasayama 589-0014, Japan. hsano@med.kindai.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sano
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine and Rheumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, 36-1 Nishi-Cho, Yonago 683-8504, Japan. k2x3dp@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jumpei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine and Rheumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, 36-1 Nishi-Cho, Yonago 683-8504, Japan. eiji@med.tottori-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shimizu
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D010366:Peak Expiratory Flow Rate; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D012621:Seasons; D013172:Spores, Fungal
chemical_list: D052638:Particulate Matter
keywords: children; fungi; outdoor; particulate matter; pulmonary function