Author(s):
Viegas, Carla ; Dias, Marta ; Monteiro, Ana ; Faria, Tiago ; Lage, Joana ; Carolino, Elisabete ; Caetano, Liliana Aranha ; Gomes, Anita Q. ; Almeida, Susana Marta ; Verde, Sandra Cabo ; Belo, Joana ; Canha, Nuno
Date: 2021
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10451/46244
Origin: Repositório da Universidade de Lisboa
Project/scholarship:
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDB%2F05608%2F2020/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDP%2F05608%2F2020/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/OE/SFRH%2FBPD%2F102944%2F2014/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDB%2F04349%2F2020/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDP%2F04349%2F2020/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDB%2F50017%2F2020/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDP%2F50017%2F2020/PT;
Subject(s): Indoor air quality; Sleep environments; Fungi; Bacteria; Aspergillus spp.; Fungi azole-resistance screening
Description
© 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A wider characterization of indoor air quality during sleep is still lacking in the literature. This study intends to assess bioburden before and after sleeping periods in Portuguese dwellings through active methods (air sampling) coupled with passive methods, such as electrostatic dust cloths (EDC); and investigate associations between before and after sleeping and bioburden. In addition, and driven by the lack of information regarding fungi azole-resistance in Portuguese dwellings, a screening with supplemented media was also performed. The most prevalent genera of airborne bacteria identified in the indoor air of the bedrooms were Micrococcus (41%), Staphylococcus (15%) and Neisseria (9%). The major indoor bacterial species isolated in all ten studied bedrooms were Micrococcus luteus (30%), Staphylococcus aureus (13%) and Micrococcus varians (11%). Our results highlight that our bodies are the source of the majority of the bacteria found in the indoor air of our homes. Regarding air fungal contamination, Chrysosporium spp. presented the highest prevalence both in after the sleeping period (40.8%) and before the sleeping period (28.8%) followed by Penicillium spp. (23.47% morning; 23.6% night) and Chrysonilia spp. (12.4% morning; 20.3% night). Several Aspergillus sections were identified in air and EDC samples. However, none of the fungal species/strains (Aspergillus sections Fumigati, Flavi, Nidulantes and Circumdati) were amplified by qPCR in the analyzed EDC. The correlations observed suggest reduced susceptibility to antifungal drugs of some fungal species found in sleeping environments. Toxigenic fungal species and indicators of harmful fungal contamination were observed in sleeping environments.
This work was supported by Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal for funding the Project "E2SleepeThe impact of environmental exposure on sleep” (IPL/2017/E2SLEEP/ESTeSL/711030) and the Project “Occupational exposure of ambulance drivers to bioburden” (IPL/2020/BIO-AmbuDrivers_ESTeSL). H&TRC authors gratefully acknowledge the FCT/MCTES national support through the UIDB/05608/2020 and UIDP/05608/2020. N. Canha also acknowledges the national FCT funding for his Post doc grant (SFRH/BPD/102944/2014) and his contract ISD-ID (IST-ID/098/2018). The FCT support is also acknowledged by C2TN/IST (UIDB/04349/2020+UIDP/04349/2020) and CESAM (UIDB/50017/2020+UIDP/50017/2020). This study also had the support of LIFE Index-Air project (LIFE15 ENV/PT/000674). It reflects only the view of the authors and EASME is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.
