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COMPARISON OF GENETIC METHODS TO OPTICAL METHODS IN THE IDENTIFICATION AND ASSESSMENT OF MOLD IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT -- COMPARISON OF TAQMAN AND MICROSCOPIC ANALYSIS OF CLADOSPORIUM SPORES RETRIEVED FROM ZEFON AIR-O-CELL TRACES
Citation:
Kahane, D., M. McGinnis, S J. Vesper, AND R A. Haugland. COMPARISON OF GENETIC METHODS TO OPTICAL METHODS IN THE IDENTIFICATION AND ASSESSMENT OF MOLD IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT -- COMPARISON OF TAQMAN AND MICROSCOPIC ANALYSIS OF CLADOSPORIUM SPORES RETRIEVED FROM ZEFON AIR-O-CELL TRACES. Presented at Indoor Air 2002, The 9th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate, Monterey, CA, June 30-July 5, 2002.
Impact/Purpose:
To understand children's risks from exposure to molds in their environment and to explore risk management options for mitigating those risks.
Description:
Recent advances in the sequencing of relevant water intrusion fungi by the EPA, combined with the development of probes and primers have allowed for the unequivocal quantitative and qualitative identification of fungi in selected matrices.
In this pilot study, quantitative PCR was performed on previously analyzed ZEFON Air-O-Cell (TM) traces to validate methods of extraction of deposited spores, and to compare relative quantitative agreement between the two methods of analysis. ZEFON cassettes are extensively used in airborne assessments for fungi, but are often supplemented by culture techniques to obtain species identification.
The pilot study employed the comparison of Cladisporium obtained from field generated ZEFON samples. Thirty-two samples ranging in concentation from spores per cubic meter were analyzed and compared for general agreement.
General agreement was confirmed for the majority of samples analyzed. In all cases Cladosporium was detected by molecular methods. Where lack of agreement occurred, it appears that heavily loaded samples may yield lower optical spore trap concentrations as compared to molecular methods.