Department of Allergy, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China,
Institute of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China,
Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2023;184(11):1153-1164. doi: 10.1159/000531245. Epub 2023 Aug 23.
Airborne fungi induce allergic symptoms in 3-10% of the population worldwide. To better prevent and manage fungi-related allergic diseases, it is essential to identify the genus and the distribution profile of airborne fungi.
With this purpose in mind, we carried out a 12-month volumetric sampling study to monitor the airborne fungi and retrospectively analyzed the sensitization profile of four dominant fungi (Cladosporium, Alternaria, Aspergillus, and Penicillium) among respiratory allergies during the same study period in Wuhan, China.
A total of 29 different fungal genuses were identified, and the peak fungal concentration period was found to be in September and October, followed by May and June. The most prevalent fungi in this area were Cladosporium (36.36%), Ustilago (20.12%), and Alternaria (13.87%). In addition, the skin prick test data from 1,365 respiratory allergies patients showed that 202 (14.80%) of them were sensitized to fungi. The sensitization rates to Cladosporium, Alternaria, Aspergillus, and Penicillium were 11.72%, 4.69%, 1.98%, and 4.76%, respectively. The seasonal fluctuation of Alternaria and Aspergillus correlated with their sensitization rates. Among the fungal sensitized patients, 76 (37.62%) were sensitized to two or more kinds of fungi. The serum-specific IgE tests suggested low to high correlations existed between these fungi; however, these correlations were not found between fungi and other allergens.
Our study provides the distribution profile and reveals the clinical significance of the airborne fungi in Wuhan, which will facilitate the precise management of fungal allergy.
空气中的真菌会导致全球 3-10%的人群出现过敏症状。为了更好地预防和管理与真菌相关的过敏性疾病，识别空气中的真菌种类及其分布情况至关重要。
为了达到这一目的，我们进行了为期 12 个月的容量采样研究，以监测空气中的真菌，并回顾性分析了同一时期（2019 年 9 月至 2020 年 8 月）在武汉，四种主要真菌（链格孢菌、交链孢霉、曲霉菌和青霉菌）在呼吸道过敏中的致敏谱。
共鉴定出 29 种不同的真菌属，真菌浓度的高峰期出现在 9 月和 10 月，其次是 5 月和 6 月。该地区最常见的真菌是链格孢菌（36.36%）、黑粉菌（20.12%）和交链孢霉（13.87%）。此外，1365 例呼吸道过敏患者的皮肤点刺试验数据显示，有 202 例（14.80%）对真菌过敏。对链格孢菌、交链孢霉、曲霉菌和青霉菌的致敏率分别为 11.72%、4.69%、1.98%和 4.76%。交链孢霉和曲霉菌的季节性波动与其致敏率相关。在真菌致敏患者中，有 76 例（37.62%）对两种或两种以上的真菌过敏。血清特异性 IgE 检测提示这些真菌之间存在低到高的相关性；然而，这些相关性在真菌和其他过敏原之间没有发现。
本研究提供了武汉市空气中真菌的分布情况，并揭示了其临床意义，这将有助于真菌过敏的精准管理。
