A Survey of Airborne Penicillium in Different Environments of Nagpur

The present survey aims to measure the fungal presence in the air of homes, grain shops and fruit markets besides the outdoor air in residential areas of Nagpur with special interest in Penicillium as it is least studied at species level. Prevalence of different species of Penicillium and the total fungal counts in cubic meter of air were evaluated with the use of Hi-Air sampler system Mark II in the air of homes (Bedrooms) and of grain shops at four different sites, and in the air of fruit markets at two different sites in Nagpur. The total fungal concentration ranged from 2.1 x 102 to 5.4 x 102 CFU/m3 in indoor air while it ranged from 1.8 x 10 to4.7xlO CFU/m3 in the outdoor air. The mean concentration of the total fungi isolated from different grain shops ranged from 6.1 x 10² to 1.33 x 10³ CFU/m3, while in the air of fruit markets it ranged from 1.6 x 103 to 4.025 x 103 CFU/m3. Sixteen different species of Penicillium were isolated from the air of different environments in Nagpur city.