Aspergillus and other moulds in the air of Kuwait

A one-year survey was carried out to study the aerial prevalence of Aspergi llus species and other moulds in the outdoor and indoor environments of Kuw ait. Petri plates containing rose-Bengal medium were exposed for 20 minutes twice a month using a six-stage Andersen air sampler at the pre-determined sites. The exposed plates were incubated at 28 degrees C +/- 1 degrees C u p to 5 days and colonies were enumerated and identified by colonial and mic roscopic morphology. The data revealed that Aspergillus species were the pr edominant component (27.7%) of the outdoor aerospora of Kuwait and A. fumig atus alone accounted for 21.3% of the total aspergilli. In contrast, Clados porium species formed the major component of the indoor aerospora (22.8%), followed by Aspergillus species (20.9%), Penicillium species (14.6%), and B ipolaris species (10.6%). A comparison of the fungi recorded in the outdoor and in the indoor air revealed that Aspergillus, Alternaria and Fusarium w ere significantly higher in the outdoor environment, whereas Cladosporium, Penicillium, and Bipolaris were significantly higher in the indoor environm ent. The relative prevalence of Aspergillus species and other moulds in the outdoor and indoor air of Kuwait was as follows: A. fumigatus 5.9 and 9.8% , A. flavus 4.9 and 3.9%, other aspergilli 16.8 and 7.0%, Alternaria specie s 19.8 and 7.9%, Cladosporium species 13.7 and 22.8%, Penicillium species 7 .6 and 14.6%, and other moulds 31.2 and 34.1%, respectively. During the stu dy, 25 different genera were identified, indicating a wide diversity in the spectrum of local fungal aerospora. The study provides useful information on the prevalence of allergenic fungi in the outdoor and indoor environment s of Kuwait.