Because fungi in the indoor environment strongly affect not only damage to and the deterioration of building materials, but also affect human health, it is important to know the distribution of fungi within an indoor environment. Therefore, in the present study, we examined Aspergillus species in nose in healthy subjects and their bedroom. Open plates containing Sabouraud dextrose agar media and sterile cotton swabs moistened with sterile saline solution were used to isolate Aspergillus spp. from the bedroom air and nose/ pillow, mattress, quilt, dust of the bed, dust on the shelf, dust in the air channel input of 50 healthy subjects living in Mashhad, Iran. Swab samples were seeded onto the surface of Sabouraud dextrose agar. All plates incubated at room temperature for 7 days. Cultured Aspergillus spp. were identified by standard mycological techniques. The most commonly isolated species in nose of subjects was A. fumigatus (28%), followed by A. flavus (26%) and A. niger (16%). A. flavus was the most prevalent species in bedroom air (58%), pillow (42%) and mattress (24%); whereas A. niger was the most common species in quilt (28%) and dust in the air channel input (44%). In dust on the shelf, A. fumigatus (40%) and in dust of the bed A. fumigates and A. flavus (each, 30%) were the most commonly isolated species. Minimizing indoor fungal exposure could play an important role in reducing allergic symptoms in susceptible persons.

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