Assessment of the abundance and diversity of airborne fungi in two different air conditioning systems in Paraíba, Brazil

Abstract

Indoor air quality is directly related to the health of individuals, and when air conditioning systems have poor sanitation and lack of adequate monitoring, they become sources of potentially pathogenic organisms. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate internal contamination in two different environments located in the city of João Pessoa, state of Paraíba, Brazil, which use different forms of air conditioning, analyzing fungal quantity and abundance. The analysis of the conventional air conditioning system and the air conditioning system that uses air renewal was performed using a bio-aerosol impactor to quantify the pathogens. Later, the fungi identification of the air samples was carried out by the slide microculture technique. The conventional air conditioning system, used in the health clinic, showed a greater amount of anemophilic fungi in some sectors compared to the sectors of the judicial public sector, which use the system with air renewal. The health clinic’s air samples indicated that nine of the eleven sectors analyzed had a fungal density above the acceptable limit according to the current national regulatory standard, and in judicial public sector, two of the five were above this limit. In both establishments Aspergillus niger was detected, i.e. 7% in the kitchen pantry of the judicial public sector, 2% in the operating room, and 1% in the kitchen pantry of the health clinic. The results presented in this study indicate the need for better hygiene measures for air conditioning units, as well as periodic monitoring of air quality in these environments.