Determinación de la contaminación del aire por hongos microscópicos en los mercados centrales de la ciudad de Macas, Ecuador

Abstract

The main objective of the research was to determine air contamination by microscopic fungi in the “mercado central” and “mercado privado” in the downtown area of Macas. It used the exposed plate technique including 10 petri dishes with Sabouraud and chloramphenicol randomly placed in the different areas of the “mercado central” and 5 petri dishes in the “mercado privado” being kept unsealed for 30 minutes allowing the sedimentation of fungal spores suspended in the air. Once the exposure time had elapsed, the samples obtained from each study area were sealed and the plates were transferred to the laboratory for isolation and placed in an oven at a temperature of 36°C for 48 hours where identified 6 genera of microscopic fungi in analysis of the two markets. The genera obtained were: Aspergillus, Penicillium, Cladosporium, Rhizopus, Mucor, Candida and Fusarium taking into account that these types of fungal genera cause health problems and cause accelerated decomposition of plant products. On the other hand, the fungal concentration obtained from the “mercado central” was 703 CFU/m3 and the “mercado privado” had a concentration of 913 CFU/m3. By means of these results, it was possible to compare with the permissible values of microorganisms present in the environment in levels CFU / m3 of Fungi in air that are established by the World Health Organization (WHO) in cooperation with the Commission of the European Communities (Cost Project 613 Report No. 12), showing that the fungal concentration values of both markets reflect high levels of air pollution due to the inadequate conditions found in the food markets. It is recommended that humidity and temperature factors be taken into account because they contribute to fungal growth in indoor environments.