Atmosphere (Jun 2022)

Numerical Simulation of <i>Aspergillus Niger</i> Spore Deposition in Nasal Cavities of a Population in Northwest China

  • Yusheng Wang,
  • Jingliang Dong,
  • Xiaole Chen,
  • Miao Lou,
  • Ruiping Ma,
  • Zhenzhen Hu,
  • Minjie Gong,
  • Botao Wang,
  • Zhenbo Tong,
  • Hongxian Ren,
  • Chaofan Li,
  • Guoxi Zheng,
  • Ya Zhang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13060911
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 6
p. 911

Abstract

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Background: As common pathogens in the human respiratory tract, fungal-spore-related health risks have been challenging to evaluate properly. This paper presents numerical simulations of particle deposition of Aspergillus niger spores in human nasal cavities. Methods: 30 healthy adults (including 60 nasal chambers) who lived in northwest China were recruited to conduct a nasal cavity numerical simulation using computational fluid dynamics–discrete phase model (CFD-DPM). The deposition rate in each anatomic area and its influencing variables, such as body position and respiratory flow rate, were analyzed. Results: (1) Under a resting condition, only about 5.57% ± 1.51% Aspergillus niger spores were deposited in the nasal cavity, while most of them escaped from the nasopharynx, and 0.31% ± 0.20% spores entered the maxillary sinus; (2) under an exercising condition, spores deposited in the nasal cavity were about 2.09 times as many as that in the resting state; (3) in a lying position, the A. niger spores deposited evenly on the lateral wall of the nasal cavity and the sinus when compared with a standing position. However, the deposition rate in each anatomic area did not change significantly.

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