The qualitative fungal composition of Turin's atmospheric environment
was surveyed, carrying out a twelve-month study and collecting with a
single stage volumetric sieve sampler on Dermasel agar supplemented wi
th 0.4 g l(-1) cycloheximide and 0.05 g l(-1) chloramphenicol. We isol
ated 165 species and 2 varieties of mesophilic fungi from 58 genera an
d 26 thermotolerant species from 12 genera. Penicillium, Aspergillus,
Acremonium, Chrysosporium, Scopulariopsis, Malbranchea, Paecilomyces,
Phialophora and Cladosporium were in sequence the genera most rich in
mesophilic species; Aspergillus, Penicillium, Chrysosporium and Scopul
ariopsis the most rich in thermotolerant species. Many of the species
isolated are rarely or never recorded in the atmospheric environment.
Cycloheximide can thus be said to select among airborne fungi, giving
a characteristic picture.