Outdoor airborne fungi captured by viable and non-viable methods

Volume assessments of the concentration of airborne fungi may provide different results depending on the methodology used. This work simultaneously analyses two methods for samples obtained outdoors and analysed in the context of meteorological conditions. The study was carried out in Badajoz (SW Spain) from Mar. 2009 to Jul. 2011. A Burkard fixed spore trap was used for the non-viable sampling, and three different methods were used for the viable sampling: a Burkard portable spore trap with two inlet port types and a Sampl'air AES trap. Daily average total concentrations of 285 CFU m⁻³ and 1 954 spores m⁻³ were recorded for the viable and non-viable methods, respectively. The spore/colony ratio showed important differences among the most relevant fungal types: Alternaria (2.6), Aspergillus–Penicillium (2.0) and Cladosporium (11.1). Although the two sampling types were essentially equivalent at showing temporal variations in outdoor airborne fungi, quantitative differences in the number of total colonies recorded depended on the culture media and conditions used.