Relationship between environmental Fungi and changes in lung function indices of new referral allergic patients in Ahvaz city under normal and dust conditions

• Published in: Journal of environmental health science and engineering 2019-12, Vol.17 (2), p.961-967
• Main Authors: Neisi, Abdolkazem, Borsi, Seyed-Hamid, Dastoorpoor, Maryam, Kiasat, Neda, Goudarzi, Gholamreza, AlizadehAttar, Gholamreza, Angali, Kambiz Ahmadi, AlizadehAttar, Somayeh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air pollution; Aspergillus; Cladosporium; Colonies; Dust; Earth and Environmental Science; Environment; Environmental changes; Environmental Economics; Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology; Environmental Health; Environmental Law/Policy/Ecojustice; Fungi; Lungs; Pollution; Pulmonary function tests; Quality of Life Research; Research Article; Respiratory function; Spores; Spring (season); Summer; Waste Management/Waste Technology; Weather
• ISSN: 2052-336X; 2052-336X
• DOI: 10.1007/s40201-019-00411-9

Background Aim of this study was to determine whether any specific fungal spores could be responsible for changes observed in lung function indices. Materials and methods 1042 new allergic patients were selected from July 2017 to May 2018 in Ahvaz City, Iran. Fungal samples were collected in normal and dusty condition within 5 and 2 min, respectively. Sampling was repeated once every 6 days and also in the dusty days. Results Average numbers of fungi colony were 639.86 and 836.44 CFU m −3 under normal and dusty conditions, respectively. Most common fungi in Ahwaz City air were Cladosporium sp. , Penicillium sp. , Aspergillus Niger , Aspergillus Flavus and Alternaria sp.. Highest fungal mean concentrations, 392 and 480 CFU m −3 , were related to Cladosporium sp. under normal and dust conditions, respectively. Average total numbers of colony fungal were 614, 483, 1082, 424 CFU m −3 and 856, 701, 1418, 418 CFU m −3 during the spring, summer, autumn, and winter under normal and dusty conditions, respectively. Patients were evaluated by measured lung function parameters of FEV 1 (L), FEV 1 (%pred), FVC (L), FVC (%pred), and FEV 1 /FVC ratio with mean values of 1.85, 58.32, 2.63, 68.18, and 69.43, respectively. Conclusion Increases in mean total spores of fungi in spring were accompanied by decreases in FEV 1 /FVC ratio. Enhanced spores of Cladosporium sp. in spring led to reduced FEV 1 /FVC ratio. Increase the spores of Curvularia sp. in summer decreased by FEF 25–75% . The augmented spores of Drechslera sp. in summer were associated with declined FEV 1 and FEV 1 /FVC ratio. Enhanced fungal spores of Rhizopus sp. in spring resulted in lowered FEV 1 , FEV 1 /FVC ratio, and FEF 25–75% .