Mycological damage of materials in the indoor environment as a risk factor for the health of polar explorers

The article presents the results of mycological analysis of samples taken from open surfaces in residential and working areas of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) station on the Bolshevik island of the Northern Land archipelago. 114 samples were studied during the expedition work from 2014 to 2016. In total, 47 species of micromycetes were detected in the course of the research. Most of the species (89%) were identified as Ascomycetes. Mucor group of fungi was composed 11% out of all the identified species. The genus Penicillium was the richest in species diversity (16 species). On the surface of materials in places of the increased moisture, there was an open growth of colonies of the Penicillium species. P. expansum was the dominant one, being noted during all the years of observations with the occurrence of about 60%. Among the frequently occurring species, there were P. brevicompactum, P. herqueri, P. purpurogenum and P. waksmanii, which were also noted during all the years of observation (the total occurrence exceeded 15%, although in some years it was much higher). Dark-colored fungus Cladosporium cladosporioides was also dominated species, which in some cases formed black mold on the surface of the materials. Among the potential pathogens, 41 species were registered. A comparison of the data obtained over the years indicates in 2016 the largest number of microfungi to be detected in the indoor environment of AARI station (35 species), whereas in 2014 and 2015 only 29 species of fungi were identified. The similarity of the identified groups of fungi over the years turned out to be quite high. Approximately 36% of microfungi (17 species) were observed annually, although their occurrence over the years varied significantly. Locally accumulation of micromycetes was noted in the indoor environment: household rooms, storage places, workrooms. In these cases, the microfungi colonized the colorful coating, synthetic materials, plywood. The formation of mycobiota in the studied areas is due to anthropogenic invasion of microfungi.