Culturable Airborne Fungi in Downtown Monterrey (Mexico) and Their Correlation with Air Pollution over a 12-Month Period

Abstract

Biological and non-biological aerosols are always present. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution is responsible for seven million deaths every year. The dynamics of airborne fungi and their association with air pollutants over time show mixed results. In this study, we sampled 50 L of air daily for a period of 12 months (February 2022–January 2023) in downtown Monterrey, Mexico to evaluate the presence of culturable fungi. May, October, November, and December were the months with the highest concentration of fungi with a significant difference from the rest of the months. Cladosporium was the predominant fungus in the air for every month except for September. Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium followed Cladosporium as the genera with the highest concentration. PM10, PM2.5, and NO2 were the most abundant pollutants, with levels above the recommended guidelines in practically every month studied. Cladosporium was the only fungus showing an inverse correlation with PM10 and PM2.5 in February, April, and May. It also showed an inverse correlation with NO, NO2, and NOx in February, March, and April. Aspergillus, Alternaria, Fusarium, and Penicillium had mixed correlations with pollutants. Yeasts showed no correlation with PM10 or PM2.5 but showed inverse correlations with nitrogen-based pollutants.

Keywords

• airborne fungi
• pollution
• Monterrey
• bioaerosols