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Classroom fungal spores associated with asthma in Taiwanese students

Childhood asthma and reduced symptoms on weekends had a significant association with fungal spores in Taiwanese classrooms, according to study results.

Researchers surveyed 6,346 students aged 6 to 15 years (52.3% girls) from 44 schools and their parents on the students’ personal histories and current asthmatic conditions. A Burkard Personal Air Sampler was used to collect fungal spores in 264 classrooms, which were counted under light microscopy. Three-level hierarchical modeling also was used.

“The prevalences of physician-diagnosed asthma, current asthma, and asthma symptoms reduced on holidays or weekends (ASROH) were 11.7%, 7.5% and 3.1%, respectively,” the researchers wrote.

A lifetime prevalence of asthma was associated with younger students, male sex, parental atopy and visible mold at home. The researchers counted and recorded 23 morphologically identifiable fungal spores.

Total fungi, Aspergillus/Penicillium and basidiospores had geometric mean spore concentrations of 2,181 spores/m3, 49 spores/m3 and 318 spores/m3, respectively. When adjusted for personal and school factors, Aspergillus/Penicillium and basidiospores had a significant correlation with current asthma and ASROH. Forty-one percent of students currently with asthma reported symptom relief during the weekends.

“The mean spore concentration of basidiospores in this study is 632 spores/m3 (geometric mean, 318 spores/m3),” the researchers reported. “In contrast, school surveys in the United States using a similar sampling method reveal much lower basidiospore concentrations (38 spores/m3 in Santa Fe, N.M., and 246 spores/m3 in Kansas City, Mo.). The results … indicate that basidiospores may be an important cause of asthma in areas with high humidity and temperature.

“Government health policy should explore environmental interventions for the elimination of fungal spores in classrooms to reduce the prevalence of childhood asthma,” the researchers concluded.

Disclosure: The researchers reported no relevant financial disclosures.