Airborne fungi monitoring in Santiago, Chile

Fungal airborne spores were studied from September 1996 throughout August 1997 in Santiago, Chile. Total concentrations fluctuated between 308 and 10,334 spores/m 3/day with an annual mean of 2,154 per m 3, the highest dispersion being during April and May. Forty-five percent of total fungal content was found in autumn. Thirteen genera and 3 other spore types were identified. Cladosporium, the most abundant genera in our atmosphere, contributed with 70.9% of the total fungi counts and reached an annual mean of 1,527 spores/m 3/day, its highest frequency being in autumn. Alternaria appeared as the second most frequent genera, with an annual mean of 40 spores/m 3/day, representing a 1.9% of the annual fungal catch. Altogether, Stemphylium, Torula, Epicoccum, Ganoderma, Helminthosporium, Chaetomiun, Pleospora and others reached relative frequencies of 0.5 % or less. It is concluded that fungi are present in Santiago's atmosphere all year round, some of them with a clear seasonality.