Municipal wastewater treatment plants(WWTPs)are recognized as the significant source of fungal aerosols,which pose a significant threat to human health globally.Herein,the occurrences characterization,community struct...Municipal wastewater treatment plants(WWTPs)are recognized as the significant source of fungal aerosols,which pose a significant threat to human health globally.Herein,the occurrences characterization,community structure,and health risk assessment of airborne fungi were investigated from a semiunderground WWTP.The concentrations of culturable fungi emitted into the air from the WWTP ranged from 30.6 to 1431.1 colony forming units(CFU)/m3,with primary and biochemical treat-ments constituting the principal sources of emission(P<0.05).Diversity analysis revealed seasonal and facility-dependent fluctuations in culturable fungal communities.Approximately 13.5%of the total airborne fungal genera detected in the WWTP were culturable.Some airborne fungi in the WWTP with relatively low abundance but high cultivability,such as Cladosporium,Trichoderma,Neurospora,Filobasidium,and Hannaella,tended to be overlooked because of their limited presence in airborne environments.We also developed a health risk assessment method for fungi,utilizing seven indicators to characterize the risk posed by fungal pathogens from multiple perspectives,providing a comprehensive evaluation of potential health impacts.The simulated risk values of the air outlet and biochemical treatment exceeded those of other treatment facilities,with median risks of 2.2×10^(2) and 1.4×10^(2),respectively.Consequently,management strategies should prioritize enhanced controls for fungal aerosols to mitigate the risk of disease transmission.展开更多
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Nos.2022YFC3704700 and 2023YFC3708203)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.22122601 and 22376033)+2 种基金the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality(Nos.21230712800 and 21DZ1202300)the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province,China(No.2021A1515010415)Supported by Major Project of Guangzhou National Laboratory,Grant No.GZNL2024A01028.
文摘Municipal wastewater treatment plants(WWTPs)are recognized as the significant source of fungal aerosols,which pose a significant threat to human health globally.Herein,the occurrences characterization,community structure,and health risk assessment of airborne fungi were investigated from a semiunderground WWTP.The concentrations of culturable fungi emitted into the air from the WWTP ranged from 30.6 to 1431.1 colony forming units(CFU)/m3,with primary and biochemical treat-ments constituting the principal sources of emission(P<0.05).Diversity analysis revealed seasonal and facility-dependent fluctuations in culturable fungal communities.Approximately 13.5%of the total airborne fungal genera detected in the WWTP were culturable.Some airborne fungi in the WWTP with relatively low abundance but high cultivability,such as Cladosporium,Trichoderma,Neurospora,Filobasidium,and Hannaella,tended to be overlooked because of their limited presence in airborne environments.We also developed a health risk assessment method for fungi,utilizing seven indicators to characterize the risk posed by fungal pathogens from multiple perspectives,providing a comprehensive evaluation of potential health impacts.The simulated risk values of the air outlet and biochemical treatment exceeded those of other treatment facilities,with median risks of 2.2×10^(2) and 1.4×10^(2),respectively.Consequently,management strategies should prioritize enhanced controls for fungal aerosols to mitigate the risk of disease transmission.
