Verruculogen production in airborne and clinical isolates of Aspergillus fumigatus Fres.

Among airborne aspergilli sampled in outdoor air of the Zagreb area (2002/2003), Aspergillus niger (v. Teigh.) and A. fumigatus (Fres.) were the most abundant species (20-30%), with low mean annual concentrations (0.21-1.04 CFU m-3). Higher concentrations of A. fumigatus were observed in autumn and winter (0.5-1.05 CFU m-3) than in spring and summer (0-0.4 CFU m-3). On the other hand, A. fumigatus was found to be the most frequent isolate from upper and/or lower respiratory tracts of imunocompromised patients in many studies. This species produces several mycotoxins, including the tremorgenic mycotoxin verruculogen that can be found in spores and during myceliar growth. Verruculogen production ability was tested on 30 airborne and 33 clinical isolates of A. fumigatus. In both groups, high percentage of verruculogen-producing strains was noticed (84% of airborne and 91% of clinical isolates). Verruculogen production was not significantly different in the groups of airborne isolates (0.34+/-0.16 mg mL-1), and clinical isolates (0.26+/-0.19 mg mL-1).