Austin Reade wrote:
>> Airborne mold spore counts in outside air in our region (Eastern Canada) are
> normally dominated by Cladosporium, Ulocladium and Alternaria, along
> with Epicoccum, non sporing isolates and low levels of other molds including
> Penicillium, Aspergillus, Scopulariopsis, etc. Total mold counts range up to
> 2,000-3,000 cfu/m3 in summer to less than 100 in winter.
>> This fall our lab has received air samples (RCS Biotest strips) from several
> widely separated areas with very high levels of Penicillium sp in the outside
> air samples (1,000-2,000 cfu/m3). We don't maintain our clients' data in a
> form which allows easy retrospective analysis but I don't recall seeing such
> high levels of penicillia in outside samples in previous years.
>> Is it likely that this reflects changing dominance of molds on the senescing
> leaves of deciduous trees?
>> A pointer to published data would be appreciated.
> ----------------------------------- * ----------------------------------
> Austin Reade, Microbiologist Phone: (902) 424-8670
> Innovacorp Fax: (902) 424-4679
> 101 Research Drive, PO Box 790 Internet: areade at nsrfc.ns.ca> Dartmouth, NS, Canada B2Y 3Z7
Is it possible that samples were taken or strips stored in a manner that
exposed it to a common source of contamination. I recall a surprisingly
high Penicillium count from a marine mud sample being traced to a bowl
of contaminated fruit near the laboratory area on a crowded ship.
