• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.292-303
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• 2017

During a survey of culturable fungi in Korea, 18 unrecorded fungal species were isolated and identified from the indoor air of mushroom cultivation houses, the materials used for preparation of mushroom cultivation media, wild plants, and funitures. This study reports the descriptions of the 18 unrecorded fungal species: Aspergillus creber, Ceratocystis paradoxa, Colletotrichum spaethianum, Coniochaeta velutina, Coprinellus xanthothrix, Epicoccum sorghinum, Leptosphaeria rubefaciens, Myrothecium gramineum, Paraconiothyrium fuckelii, Penicillium erubescens, Penicillium melinii, Penicillium pulvillorum, Penicillium sabulosum, Penicillium turbatum, Pestalotiopsis portugalica, Pilidiella castaneicola, Rachicladosporium pini, and Umbelopsis nana. For all the identified species, the morphological characteristics including the features of colony formed on media, images of light microscopy, and molecular phylogenetic relationships based on nucleotide sequences of the internal transcribed spacer ribosomal DNA (ITS rDNA), 18S rDNA, 28S rDNA, ${\beta}-tubulin$ gene, calmodulin gene, and translation elongation factor gene were described.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.72-78
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• 2020

During the monitoring of fungal pests in 2016 and 2017, Acrodontium crateriforme, Naganishia friedmannii, Pestalotiopsis trachicarpicola, Penicillium wollemiicola, and Trichoderma thailandicum were isolated from indoor air, mushroom flies (Phytosciara flavipes), and media materials in the cultivation houses of oak wood mushroom (Lentinula edodes) located in Seocheon, Jangheung, Buyeo, and Yeoju, Korea. These fungal species were identified based on their morphological characteristics after their growth on PDA and subsequent molecular analyses of the 26S rDNA, 28S rDNA, β-tubulin gene, and translation elongation factor 1-α gene using PCR amplification and nucleotide sequencing were performed. The results showed that these fungi were previously undocumented in Korea. This study reports descriptions of their taxonomical and known properties.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.300-309
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• 2014

Objectives: The objective of this study is to evaluate microbial exposure hazards in the metal-working fluids(MWF) handling industry. Methods: Air quality parameters(airborne bacteria, fungi, endotoxin and oil mist) and bulk MWF in storage tanks were evaluated at 54 points at nine sites in South Korea. Results: The geometric means(GM) of culturable airborne bacteria, fungi, endotoxin and oil mist concentration were $133CFU/m^3$(n=376, range $7{\sim}6,510CFU/m^3$), $159CFU/m^3$(n=381, range $7{\sim}8,469CFU/m^3$), $8.06EU/m^3$(n=103, range $0.34{\sim}280.4EU/m^3$) and $0.20mg/m^3$(n=104, range $0.01{\sim}2.87mg/m^3$), respectively. The ratio of indoor to outdoor concentration was 2.7 for bacteria, 6.1 for endotoxin, and 4.8 for oil mist. Even though average airborne bacteria concentration did not exceed recommended exposure limits($1,000CFU/m^3$), MWF in the storage tanks was highly contaminated with bacteria(arithmetic mean $2.1{\times}10^6CFU/ml$) and exceeded recommended bacteria limits($10^5CFU/ml$). Conclusions: It is necessary for MWF handling workplaces to conduct periodical biohazard inspection of MWF storage tanks. Additionally, further research may be necessary to establish biological occupational exposure limits.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.304-312
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• 2014

Objectives: This study was performed to examine bioaerosols in indoor air in public restrooms, as well as to assess the effects of air temperature and relative humidity on bioaerosol levels. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was performed in ten male and ten female restrooms. An air sampler (Anderson type) was used for sampling total suspended bacteria (TSB), Gram-negative bacteria (GNB), Gram-positive bacteria (GPB), opportunistic bacteria (OP), Staphylococcus spp., and total suspended fungi (TSF). Results: The levels of TSB were $10-10^2CFU/m^3$ and TSF $10-10^2CFU/m^3$, respectively. The GNB level was $0-10CFU/m^3$, and GPB and OP levels were $10-10^2CFU/m^3$. Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) were detected in 90% of the restrooms. The GPB level was higher in the female restrooms than in the male restrooms (p < 0.05). TSB, GNB, and TSF showed higher levels in restrooms in buildings over 30 years old (p < 0.01). The main effect of air temperature or relative humidity and interaction effect of the two factors on the TSB level were significant (p < 0.05), while the effect of relative humidity on the TSF level was significant (p < 0.001). Conclusions: These results indicate that there is a wide variation in the bioaerosol levels among different restrooms. The observed differences in bioaerosol levels reflect different building histories. The effects of air temperature and/or relative humidity reveal that bioaerosol levels may vary according to season or time of day. Future research is needed to further characterize the relation between the bioaerosol levels and surface contamination in restrooms.

• Proceedings of the Korea Contents Association Conference
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• 2018.05a
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• pp.409-410
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• 2018

Background: Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases and can be affected by environmental factors. It has been reported that exposure to indoor environmental factors can cause infantile asthma during infancy and childhood, but the previous studies are not yet clear. Climate change has recently been shown to increase indoor mold. Exposure to fungi is known to be directly related to the development of aggravation. Methods: This study was conducted from July 20, 2016 to September 30, 2016. The study was conducted on 90 household with children under the age of 7 who attend atopy school. The questionnaire surveyed allergic symptoms, social and demographic characteristics, and environmental characteristics. Environmentally hazardous substances were measured such as temperature, humidity, fine dust, volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde, bacteria, fungus, house dust mite, endotoxin. Results: According to the survey results, 9 patients (10%) were treated with asthma, 6 (6.7%) were asthmatic patients during the past 12 months, and 4 patients (4.4%) were asthmatic patients during the past 12 months. There were statistically significant differences in the direct effect of smokers in the family (P=0.0328). High-filter vacuum cleaners collected $0.4222CFU/m^3$ in subjects without asthma, and $0.2222CFU/m^3$ in subjects with asthma. In addition, various results confirmed that asthma exacerbated by mold exposure. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that exposure to fungal by infants and toddlers may play an important role in the development of asthma. In this study, we investigated the relationship between asthma and fungal concentration.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.641-651
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• 2015

The aim of this study was to estimate the service life of alkaline copper quaternary (ACQ)-treated wood. The service life of preservative-treated wood was estimated by comparing a residual quantity of ACQ in wood with toxic threshold to fungi. Indoor and outdoor leaching tests were carried out in order to predict residual ACQ quantity within wood. As a result, the leaching ratio of ACQ from treated wood above ground via precipitation was 18.1% for 50 years. When the H4 treated wood, which is traditionally used in contact with the ground and fresh water, is used above-ground, the leaching ratio of ACQ for 50 years is 18.1% and the residual quantity of ACQ is $4.2kg/m^3$, which is higher than the toxic threshold of ACQ. Thus, the H4 treated wood used above-ground will be resistant to biodeterioration for at least 50 years.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.566-574
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• 1999

This study was conducted to examine the outbreak rate and the causative agents of otitis externa in 26 dogs (49 ears ; 23 dogs = bilateral, 3 dogs = unilateral), and the normal microfloras of external ear canal in 68 dogs(133 ears ; 65 dogs = bilateral, 3 dogs = unilateral ) in Taegu, 1997. The breed, living environment, sex, age and season distribution of otitic dogs were as follows : Dogs with erect and hairy ears(42.3%), pendulous and hairy ears(38.5%), indoor(92.3%), female(65.4%) and below one year old(38.5%) were more prevalent. According to season, otitis externa was mainly occurred between July and October. The major causative agents of canine otitis externa were Malassezia pachydermatis (32.7%), Staphylococcus aureus (26.5%) and S intermedius (16.3%). In the microorganism isolated 39 otitic ear canals, single infection was 53.8% and mixed infection was 46.2%. The normal microfloras of canine external ear canal were fungi including M pachydermatis, Aspergillus spp, Microsporum canis, Alternaria spp, Verticillium spp and Yeast, and bacteria including Staphylococcus spp(10 species including S xylosus), Bacillus spp, Corynebacterium spp, Listeria spp, Actinomyces pyogenes and Escherichia coli. No growth was 34.6%.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.187-197
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• 2019

Ascomycota is the largest phylum of the Fungi, including approximately 6,600 genera. They are often isolated from soils, indoor air, and freshwater environments, but also from plants as pathogens or endophytes. In this study, four species of Ascomycota (two of Cladosporium and one of each Daldinia and Nigrospora) were collected from the leaves of four woody plants (Camellia japonica, Ginkgo biloba, Quercus sp., Vitis vinifera). Their cultural characteristics were investigated on five different media (PDA, V8A, CMA, MEA, CZA) at 3 days after incubation at $25^{\circ}C$ in darkness. BLASTn search and phylogenetic analysis were performed using the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA sequences, in addition to tef1 gene sequences for Cladosporium species. Based on the cultural, morphological, and phylogenetic data, the isolates were identified as Cladosporium anthropophilum, Cladosporium pseudocladosporioides, Daldinia eschscholtzii, and Nigrospora chinensis. Previously, some members of Cladosporium and Nigrospora have been recorded as endophytes inhabiting the leaves and stems of various plants, whereas Daldinia eschscholtzii is a wood-inhabiting endophyte or wood-decaying fungus. To our knowledge, this is the first report of these four ascomycetes in Korea.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Building Construction Conference
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• 2021.05a
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• pp.313-314
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• 2021

An old building over 30 years old continue to increase. Therefore, there will be more dismantling of old buildings in the future. Safety management of dismantling works is being strengthened. However, no consideration has been given to the effects of dismantling workers and their residents due to environmental hazards arising from the demolition process. Only spray and dust prevention measures are subject to inspection to minimize dust generation considering civil complaints around the site of dismantling work. In this paper, residential buildings, which account for the largest proportion of old buildings, were collected and identify total airborne bacteria and floating fungi among environmental hazards caused by non-structural dismantling work. Measurement results showed that workers during dismantling work are working in places with 4.8 times more total airborne bacteria than indoor air quality maintenance standards. Related research is needed for the health of dismantling workers.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.324-333
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• 2016

Objectives: We aimed to compare the sampling performance of different flow-based impactor samplers for collecting fungal spores and bacteria and to explore the association of the level of bioaerosols with activity patterns of occupants in daycare center settings. Methods: For comparison of sampling performance, two different flow-based samplers (greater than 100 L/min or not) were selected; a low flow-based sampler (one-stage Andersen sampler) and two high flow-based samplers (DUO SAS SUPER 360 sampler, BUCK bio-culture sampler). We collected airborne mold and bacteria in 30 daycare centers with various levels of contaminated air. Three repeat samplings per each sampler were performed. Mold and bacteria were grown for 96 hours at $25{\pm}1^{\circ}C$ and 48 hours at $35{\pm}1^{\circ}C$, respectively. The Andersen and SAS samplers were used for investigating the association between the level of bioaerosols and the activity patterns of occupants in daycares. Particular matters 10($PM_{10}$), temperature, and relative humidity were monitored as well. Samplings were carried out with one-hour interval from 9 to 5 O'clock. For statistical comparisons, Kruskal-Wallis test, Wilcoxon's signed rank test, and multiple regression analysis were carried out. Results: The airborne level of molds by the low flow-based sampler were significantly higher than that of high flow-based samplers (indoor, P=0.037; outdoor, P=0.041). However, no statistical difference was observed in the airborne level of bacteria by each sampler. Also the level of bioaerosols varied by the time, particularly with different activity patterns in daycare centers. The higher level of mold and bacteria were observed in play time in indoor. Similarly, the concentrations of $PM_{10}$ were significantly associated with the level of bioaerosols (P<0.05). Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the flow rate of sampler, rather than total air volume, could be able to affect the results of sampling. Also, the level of airborne mold and bacteria vary behavior patterns of occupants in indoor of daycare settings. Therefore, different samplers with other flow rate may be selected for mold or bacteria sampling, and activity patterns should be considered for bioaerosol sampling as well.