Species-specific production of microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOC)by airborne fungi from a compost facility

Thirteen airborne fungal species frequently isolated in composting plants w ere screened for microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOC), i.e., Aspergi llus candidus, A. fumigalus, A. versicolor, Emericella nidulans, Paecilomyc es variotii, Penicillium brevicompactum, Penicillium clavigerum, Penicilliu m crustosum, Penicillium cyclopium, Penicillium expansum, Penicillium glabr um, Penicillium verruculosum, and Tritirachium oryzae. Air samples from pur e cultures were sorbed on Tenax GR and analyzed by thermal desorption in co mbination with GC/MS. Various hydrocarbons of different chemical groups and a large number of terpenes were identified. Some compounds such as 3-methy l-1-butanol and 1-octen-3-ol were produced by a number of species, whereas some volatiles were specific for single species. An inventory of microbial metabolites will allow identification of potential health hazards due to an exposure to fungal propagules and metabolites in the workplace. Moreover, species-specific volatiles may serve as marker compounds for the selective detection of fungal species in indoor domestic and working environments. (C ) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.