Incidence of allergenically significant fungal aerosol in a rural bakery of West Bengal, India

The frequency of fungal spores in the air of three different sections of a rural bakery was analyzed using a Burkard personal slide sampler and Anders en two stage viable sampler. In average concentration of spores (No./m(3)) was 228-26770/m(3) and concentration of viable colony forming units (CFU/m( 3)) was 65-2061 CFU/m(3). Dominant fungus species both culturable and noncu lturable, were species of Aspergillusand Penicillium, Cladosporiumsp., Aspe rgillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Cladosporium clad osporioides, Penicillium citrinumand Alternaria alternata.Seasonal variatio ns in the spore concentrations were clearly observed in case of some fungi. Total culturable mould concentration of different bakery sections sometime s exceeded the acceptable limit for a healthy indoor environment. Antigenic extracts prepared from some dominant culturable fungi showed high level of allergenicity in skin prick tests indicating that they could be responsibl e for allergic respiratory dysfunction of bakery workers.