Assessing the impact of air movement on hyphal growth

Abstract

Increased ventilation is widely reported to reduce the incidence of mould growth, mainly when it reduces the water activity (a w ) of surfaces. However, it is unclear whether drying of surfaces is the only mechanism that relates ventilation and air mould. It has been hypothesized that air movement, even in conditions of moisture equilibrium between the surface and the air, can reduce mould growth. The impact of air movement was tested on hyphal growth of Aspergillus versicolor and Penicillium brevicompactum . Results show that the presence of air movement does not seem to have an impact on hyphal growth. However, the presence of air movement (unfiltered air) increased the variability of the measured hyphal growth, indicating a potential relationship that should be further explored.