AAAR 37th Annual Conference October 14 - October 18, 2019 Oregon Convention Center Portland, Oregon, USA
Abstract View
Fungal Communities in Puerto Rican Homes after Hurricane Maria
JUAN PEDRO MAESTRE, Filipa Godoy Vitorino, Benjamin Bolaños-Rosero, Felix Rivera-Mariani, Humberto Cavallin, Kerry Kinney, University of Texas at Austin
Abstract Number: 769 Working Group: Indoor Aerosols
Abstract The slow rebuilding and recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico may have has led to fungal proliferation in many homes with minimal abatement. The respiratory health impact of these conditions is of great concern, particularly with respect to chronic inflammatory respiratory conditions such as asthma. In this study, the microbial communities of 50 homes located San Juan, are under scrutiny over a 2-year period, 25 homes affected by hurricane-associated flooding and 25 homes not affected. Airborne dust samples were collected using settled dust collectors indoors and outdoors, vacuuming floors, and swabbing door trims (indoor and outdoor). DNA from dust samples was extracted with PowerSoil kit, analyzed via high-throughput sequencing targeting the ITS rRNA gene. The pro-inflammatory potential (PIP) of indoor air samples collected is also being evaluated through quantitative assessment of induced pro-inflammatory cytokines in peripheral human blood.
Results collected to date indicate that home environment factors such as pet ownership, and smoking are not associated with higher house dust PIP. However, homes whose interiors were flooded during the hurricane, damage to the kitchen area and poor ventilation are associated with a 1.2 (p = 0.009) and 2.35-fold (p = 0.03) increase in the dust PIP. Similarly, flooding damage that required removal of floors, roof, or wood is associated with an increase in the dust PIP (p = 0.02 to 0.004). Higher relative abundances of moisture-associated fungi were found indoors compared to outdoors, with relative abundances up to 50%. The moisture-associated genera Trichoderma, Aspergillus, Fusarium and Wallemia were found frequently indoors. These results suggest that indoor conditions that result from long-term, unrepaired flood damage, may promote moisture-associated fungal taxa and increase the risk of occupant exposure to particulate matter with higher pro-inflammatory potential.