Skip Navigation
Skip to contents

Journal of Microbiology : Journal of Microbiology

OPEN ACCESS
SEARCH
Search
Advanced Search
mobile menu button

Articles

Page Path
HOME > J. Microbiol > Volume 52(6); 2014 > Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Identifying Airborne Fungi in Seoul, Korea Using Metagenomics
Seung-Yoon Oh 1, Jonathan J. Fong 1, Myung Soo Park 1, Limseok Chang 2, Young Woon Lim 1
Journal of Microbiology 2014;52(6):465-472.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-014-3550-1
Published online: April 11, 2014
1School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-747, Republic of Korea, 2National Institute of Environmental Research, Incheon 404-170, Republic of Korea1School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-747, Republic of Korea, 2National Institute of Environmental Research, Incheon 404-170, Republic of Korea
Corresponding author:  Young Woon Lim , Tel: +82-2-880-6708, 
Received: 21 October 2013   • Revised: 24 December 2013   • Accepted: 27 December 2013
prev next
  • 48 Views
  • 0 Download
  • 38 Crossref
  • 46 Scopus
Full Article

Abstract

Fungal spores are widespread and common in the atmosphere. In this study, we use a metagenomic approach to study the fungal diversity in six total air samples collected from April to May 2012 in Seoul, Korea. This springtime period is important in Korea because of the peak in fungal spore concentration and Asian dust storms, although the year of this study (2012) was unique in that were no major Asian dust events. Clustering sequences for operational taxonomic unit (OTU) identification recovered 1,266 unique OTUs in the combined dataset, with between 223-396 OTUs present in individual samples. OTUs from three fungal phyla were identified. For Ascomycota, Davidiella (anamorph: Cladosporium) was the most common genus in all samples, often accounting for more than 50% of all sequences in a sample. Other common Ascomycota genera identified were Alternaria, Didymella, Khuskia, Geosmitha, Penicillium, and Aspergillus. While several Basidiomycota genera were observed, Chytridiomycota OTUs were only present in one sample. Consistency was observed within sampling days, but there was a large shift in species composition from Ascomycota dominant to Basidiomycota dominant in the middle of the sampling period. This marked change may have been caused by meteorological events. A potential set of 40 allergyinducing genera were identified, accounting for a large proportion of the diversity present (22.5–77.2%). Our study identifies high fungal diversity and potentially high levels of fungal allergens in springtime air of Korea, and provides a good baseline for future comparisons with Asian dust storms.

  • Cite this Article
    Cite this Article
    export Copy Download
    Close
    Download Citation
    Download a citation file in RIS format that can be imported by all major citation management software, including EndNote, ProCite, RefWorks, and Reference Manager.
    Format:
    • RIS — For EndNote, ProCite, RefWorks, and most other reference management software
    • BibTeX — For JabRef, BibDesk, and other BibTeX-specific software
    Include:
    • Citation for the content below
    Identifying Airborne Fungi in Seoul, Korea Using Metagenomics
    J. Microbiol. 2014;52(6):465-472.   Published online April 11, 2014
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-014-3550-1
    Close
Related articles
Journal of Microbiology : Journal of Microbiology
© The Microbiological Society of Korea.
TOP