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Applied Sciences
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Fungi Associated with Indoor Environments and Materials
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Fungi Associated with Indoor Environments and Materials

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Biosciences and Bioengineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 14252

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Pedro M. Martin-Sanchez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Section for Genetics and Evolutionary Biology (Evogene), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066 Blindern, NO-0316 Oslo, Norway
Interests: environmental microbiology; microbiome; fungal diversity; indoor environments; building ecology; aerobiology; material biodeterioration; high-throughput sequencing; human exposome
Dr. Sundy Maurice

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Section for Genetics and Evolutionary Biology (Evogene), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066 Blindern, NO-0316 Oslo, Norway
Interests: community ecology; population genomics; life history traits; indoor environment; forest ecosystem; wood decay fungi; culture-based identification; microscopy; DNA metabarcoding; genomics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We invite you to contribute to this Special Issue on “Fungi Associated with Indoor Environments and Materials” of the journal Applied Sciences.

Fungi, one of the most diverse and widespread kingdoms of life, have essential ecosystem functions in nature but can also colonise indoor environments and human-made materials. Although they often are unhospitable niches for microbial life, some fungi can grow there and become relevant risks for the occupant’s health and material stability. This Special Issue aims to compile recent outstanding research on mycobiomes associated with these particular habitats, covering basic or applied studies on the following topics:

  • Indoor environments: residential, occupational, and public buildings, as well as subterranean environments (e.g., caves, mines, and tombs);
  • All materials susceptible to being colonised and/or degraded by fungi, including both indoor and outdoor materials;
  • Driving factors and spatiotemporal evolution of mycobiomes;
  • Aerobiological studies related to the dispersal of aerosols and indoor air quality;
  • Biofilm-forming and material-deteriorating fungi;
  • Moisture and mould damages in buildings;
  • Human exposure to mycobiomes (respiratory symptoms, mycotoxins, microbial volatile organic compounds);
  • Development of indoor environmental assessment protocols.

We thus invite you to submit your contributions on these topics, in the form of original research articles, short communications, and review articles.

Dr. Pedro M. Martin-Sanchez
Dr. Sundy Maurice
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • indoor environments
  • built environments
  • subterranean environments
  • indoor fungi
  • material biodeterioration
  • aerobiology
  • fungal exposure
  • indoor air quality
  • building ecology
  • biofilms
  • fungal diversity
  • mycobiomes
  • aerosols
  • moisture damages
  • moulds
  • environmental assessment

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1977 KiB  
Article
Particulate Matter Concentrations and Fungal Aerosol in Horse Stables as Potential Causal Agents in Recurrent Airway Disease in Horses and Human Asthma and Allergies
by Anna Lenart-Boroń, Anna Bajor, Marek Tischner, Klaudia Kulik and Julia Kabacińska
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(18), 9375; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12189375 - 19 Sep 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2004
Abstract
Exposure to bioaerosols associated with horse stable indoor environment and their health effects on people and horses has recently become of particular interest. Moreover, increasing frequency of recurrent airway disease (RAO) among horses made it necessary to search for the most probable causal [...] Read more.
Exposure to bioaerosols associated with horse stable indoor environment and their health effects on people and horses has recently become of particular interest. Moreover, increasing frequency of recurrent airway disease (RAO) among horses made it necessary to search for the most probable causal agents of this disease and methods of their eradication. The study was conducted in two horse stables in southern Poland (Kraków and Tarnów). Particulate matter (PM2.5, PM4, and PM10) concentrations were determined photometrically, the concentration of fungal aerosol was determined by a six-stage impactor, and next generation sequencing (NGS) was used to determine fungal community composition in one of these stables. The highest PM concentrations were observed in Tarnów, but fungal aerosol levels were higher in the Kraków stable. Based on the NGS results, the three most prevalent fungal species were Wallemia sebi, Aspergillus penicillioides, and Epicoccum nigrum, all highly allergenic and potentially involved in the occurrence of RAO in horses. Spores of the detected fungi can penetrate deeply into the respiratory system. Therefore, this study suggests that examinations of particulate matter and fungal aerosol concentrations, along with species composition assessment, should be regularly conducted in horse stables. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungi Associated with Indoor Environments and Materials)
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18 pages, 1741 KiB  
Article
Comparison of Methods to Identify and Monitor Mold Damages in Buildings
by Pedro Maria Martin-Sanchez, Maria Nunez, Eva Lena Fjeld Estensmo, Inger Skrede and Håvard Kauserud
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(18), 9372; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12189372 - 19 Sep 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4991
Abstract
Molds thrive in indoor environments, challenging the stability of building materials and occupants’ health. Diverse sampling and analytical techniques can be applied in the microbiology of buildings, with specific benefits and drawbacks. We evaluated the use of two methods, the microscopy of visible [...] Read more.
Molds thrive in indoor environments, challenging the stability of building materials and occupants’ health. Diverse sampling and analytical techniques can be applied in the microbiology of buildings, with specific benefits and drawbacks. We evaluated the use of two methods, the microscopy of visible mold growth (hereinafter “mold” samples) (tape lifts) and the DNA metabarcoding of mold and dust samples (swabs), for mapping mold-damage indicator fungi in residential buildings in Oslo. Overall, both methods provided consistent results for the mold samples, where nearly 80% of the microscopy-identified taxa were confirmed by DNA analyses. Aspergillus was the most abundant genus colonizing all materials, while some taxa were associated with certain substrates: Acremonium with gypsum board, Chaetomium with chipboard, Stachybotrys with gypsum board and wood, and Trichoderma with wood. Based on the DNA data, the community composition was clearly different between the mold and the dust, with a much higher alpha diversity in the dust. Most genera identified in the mold were also detected with a low abundance in the dust from the same apartments. Their spatial distribution indicated some local spread from the mold growth to other areas, but there was no clear correlation between the relative abundances and the distance to the damages. To study mold damages, different microbiological analyses (microscopy, cultivation, DNA, and chemistry) should be combined with a thorough inspection of buildings. The interpretation of such datasets requires the collaboration of skilled mycologists and building consultants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungi Associated with Indoor Environments and Materials)
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17 pages, 1603 KiB  
Article
Keratinophilic and Keratinolytic Fungi in Cave Ecosystems: A Culture-Based Study of Brestovská Cave and Demänovská Ľadová and Slobody Caves (Slovakia)
by Rafał Ogórek, Jakub Suchodolski, Agata Piecuch, Katarzyna Przywara and Zuzana Višňovská
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1455; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031455 - 29 Jan 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2843
Abstract
Despite speleomycological research going back to the 1960s, the biodiversity of many specific groups of micromycetes in underground sites still remains unknown, including keratinolytic and keratinophilic fungi. These fungi are a frequent cause of infections in humans and animals. Since subterranean ecosystems are [...] Read more.
Despite speleomycological research going back to the 1960s, the biodiversity of many specific groups of micromycetes in underground sites still remains unknown, including keratinolytic and keratinophilic fungi. These fungi are a frequent cause of infections in humans and animals. Since subterranean ecosystems are inhabited by various animals and are a great tourist attraction, the goal of our research was to provide the first report of keratinophilic and keratinolytic fungal species isolated from three caves in Tatra Mts., Slovakia (Brestovská, Demänovská Ľadová and Demänovská Slobody). Speleomycological investigation was carried out inside and outside the explored caves by combining culture-based techniques with genetic and phenotypic identifications. A total of 67 fungal isolates were isolated from 24 samples of soil and sediment using Vanbreuseghem hair bait and identified as 18 different fungal species. The study sites located inside the studied caves displayed much more fungal species (17 species) than outside the underground (3 species), and the highest values of the Shannon diversity index of keratinophilic and keratinolytic fungi were noted for the study sites inside the Demänovská Slobody Cave. Overall, Arthroderma quadrifidum was the most common fungal species in all soil and/or sediment samples. To the best of our knowledge, our research has allowed for the first detection of fungal species such as Arthroderma eboreum, Arthrodermainsingulare, Chrysosporiumeuropae, Chrysosporiumsiglerae, Keratinophytonwagneri, and Penicillium charlesii in underground sites. We also showed that the temperature of soil and sediments was negatively correlated with the number of isolated keratinophilic and keratinolytic fungal species in the investigated caves. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungi Associated with Indoor Environments and Materials)
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14 pages, 2014 KiB  
Article
Airborne Fungi in Show Caves from Southern Spain
by Irene Dominguez-Moñino, Valme Jurado, Miguel Angel Rogerio-Candelera, Bernardo Hermosin and Cesareo Saiz-Jimenez
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(11), 5027; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11115027 - 29 May 2021
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 3240
Abstract
The aerobiology of caves in Southern Spain possesses special characteristics, different from caves located in Northern Spain. Previous studies demonstrated the influence of outdoor air on caves in the north and the existence of two different patterns, depending on the season. In summer [...] Read more.
The aerobiology of caves in Southern Spain possesses special characteristics, different from caves located in Northern Spain. Previous studies demonstrated the influence of outdoor air on caves in the north and the existence of two different patterns, depending on the season. In summer there is an abundance of Ascomycota, whereas in winter Basidiomycota predominates, which are related to the periods of stagnation and ventilation, respectively. In caves in Southern Spain the presence of airborne Basidiomycota is scarce and Ascomycota represents the main group of fungi widely distributed across the caves in all seasons. The most characteristic features were the abundant presence of entomopathogenic fungi (Beauveria bassiana, Parengyodontium album, Pochonia chlamydosporia, Leptobacillium symbioticum, Leptobacillium leptobactrum) and Cladosporium cladosporioides in Cueva del Tesoro, Cueva de Ardales and Gruta de las Maravillas. However, the presence of yeasts of the genera Cutaneotrichosporon, Trichosporon, Cryptococcus, Naganishia, Cystobasidium, Microstroma and Phragmotaenium was exclusive to Gruta de las Maravillas. Fungal hazard in the three show caves were determined using an ecological indicator based on the concentration of spores in cave air. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungi Associated with Indoor Environments and Materials)
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