Study of the Airborne Fungal Spores in Rosetta, Egypt

Abstract

In this study, fungal spores in the atmosphere of Rosetta, Egypt were studied for one year (August 2015 to July 2016) using a Hirst type volumetric pollen trap. An annual spore index equals to 8023 was recorded during the studied period. The maximum records were in August 2015, May and July 2016. Alternaria, Cladosporium, Tilletia, Stemphylium, Chaetomium, Aspergillus/Penicillium-type, Drechslera-type, Mycosphaerella, and Epicoccum represent the main spore producers organized in relation to their abundance. A total of nine fungal spore genera with minimum 10-day mean equal to or greater than 0.1 spores/m3 of air are involved to construct an approximate spore calendar. This aeropalynological study was compared with others elsewhere in the world. Correlation analysis between spore counts and different meteorological parameters (temperature, rainfall, and relative humidity) as well as a number of allergic patients were studied. It was obvious that most of the recorded fungal spores have allergenic properties, especially from April till August. This study revealed that the air in Rosetta district is polluted and care must be taken in fruit and food storage especially during the summer period.