Fungal biodiversity in the air of Turin

Abstract

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 with 0.4 g l-1 cycloheximide and 0.05 g l-1 chloramphenicol. We isolated 165 species and 2 varieties of mesophilic fungi from 58 genera and 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 Scopulariopsis 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.