[Indoor air studies of mould fungus contamination of homes of selected patients with bronchial asthma (with special regard to evaluation problems)].

Investigations of indoor air of the homes of seven patients with asthma bronchiale who showed up with positive reactions following intracutaneous application of fungal allergens revealed that their places of residence were contaminated by fungal and bacterial spores. The number of colony forming units of mesophilic fungal spores of the indoor air ranged from 100 to 1000 CFU/m3 and this was much higher than the mould flora of the outdoor air determined simultaneously. The major fungi species found by the indoor investigation were: Penicillium sp. > Aspergillus sp. > Cladosporium sp., Mucor sp., Chrysonilia sp., Verticillium sp. > Geotrichum sp., Trichoderma sp. In two cases Thermoactinomyces species could be detected in the indoor air. The main cause of fungal contamination were moist building materials on room walls, insufficient air ventilation, bad maintenance of the circulating air-machines and insufficient room hygiene (e.g. biological garbage in the kitchen).