School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.
School of Social Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.
Environ Monit Assess. 2021 Jul 22;193(8):504. doi: 10.1007/s10661-021-09238-0.
Airborne fungi are among common contaminants in indoor and outdoor environments, leading to poor indoor air quality (IAQ), and to some extent, implicate health risks to humans worldwide. In Malaysia, fungal contamination in institutional buildings is rarely documented although these places are frequently visited by many. This study was conducted to assess the density and diversity of airborne fungi in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) main campus, Penang. A total of 11 sampling sites were assessed. Fungi were collected by using Andersen Single Stage Impact Air Sampler N-6 and MEA plates. Two separate trials, namely Trial 1 and Trial 2, were conducted in 2008 and 2019, respectively. The recovered fungi were identified up to the genus level-based morphological features. A survey involving 400 respondents among USM staff and students in relation to fungal contamination in indoor air environment was also conducted to evaluate the knowledge on indoor fungi among USM community. The densities of indoor air fungi in Trial 1 were higher; ranging from 81 to 1743 CFU/m, exceeding the recommended level set by the Malaysia Industry Code of Practice (MCPIAQ) in some sampling sites, compared to that of in Trial 2 where the densities ranged from 229 to 699 CFU/m. A total of 154 isolates and 230 isolates of airborne fungi were recovered in Trial 1 and Trial 2, respectively. In total, 11 fungal genera were identified in both trials, and three genera were predominant: Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Cladosporium. The survey also revealed that knowledge of IAQ among staff and students was limited and that they were unaware of fungal contamination and IAQ. A continuous and wide-spread awareness should be implemented at USM main campus for safer and healthier indoor air environments, particularly university students where productivity and efficiency are of the utmost importance.
空气中的真菌是室内和室外环境中常见的污染物之一，导致室内空气质量 (IAQ) 变差，在某种程度上对全球人类健康构成威胁。在马来西亚，机构建筑中的真菌污染很少有记录，尽管这些地方经常有很多人光顾。本研究旨在评估马来西亚理科大学槟城主校区空气中真菌的密度和多样性。共评估了 11 个采样点。使用 Andersen 单级冲击空气采样器 N-6 和 MEA 平板收集真菌。分别于 2008 年和 2019 年进行了两次独立的试验，即试验 1 和试验 2。根据形态特征将回收的真菌鉴定到属的水平。还对理科大学的教职员工和学生进行了一项涉及室内空气环境中真菌污染的调查，以评估理科大学社区对室内真菌的认识。试验 1 中室内空气真菌的密度较高，范围为 81 至 1743 CFU/m，在一些采样点超过了马来西亚行业实践规范 (MCPIAQ) 规定的推荐水平，而试验 2 中的密度范围为 229 至 699 CFU/m。在试验 1 和试验 2 中分别回收了 154 株和 230 株空气传播真菌。在两次试验中总共鉴定出 11 个属的真菌，其中三个属占优势：曲霉属、青霉属和枝孢属。调查还显示，员工和学生对室内空气质量的知识有限，他们不知道真菌污染和室内空气质量。应该在理科大学主校区持续广泛地开展宣传，以营造更安全、更健康的室内空气环境，特别是对大学生而言，他们的工作效率至关重要。
