1. Post Katrina Changes in the Airborne Fungal Spore Load in New Orleans Estelle Levetin, Edward Davis, Sam Lehrer, Elliott Horner

2. Flooded Areas of New Orleans

3. Methods ► Burkard spore trap at Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans 1 to 2 Km from flooded areas ► Slides analyzed at 1000X using single longitudinal traverse ► Counts converted to concentrations and log transformed for statistical analysis ► Short-term outdoor grab samples collected with Burkard personal samplers

4. Location of Burkard Spore Trap

5. Burkard Location

6. Initial Analysis ► Comparison of Oct 17-24 from all 3 years  7 days 2003 and 2004  8 days 2005 ► Total of 30 taxa identified  2003 - 23 taxa  2004 - 21 taxa  2005 - 28 taxa ► Mean concentration highest in 2005 ► Composition of air spora different in 2005

7. Spore Types 2003 - Mean Concen for 7 Days Spores/m 3 2004 - Mean Concen for 7 Days Spores/m 3 2005 - Mean Concen for 8 Days Spores/m 3 Alternaria47 24 76 Ascospores651 581 349 Basidiospores1,347 1,322 573 Cercospora20 21 13 Chaetomium0 0 13 Cladosporium2,362 1,886 3,615 Curvularia39 37 64 Eurotium ascospores0 0 7 Myxomycete Spores29 20 41 Nigrospora16 14 15 Penicillium/Aspergillus type693 (12%) 468 (10%) 1,891 (26%) Pithomyces14 15 Smut Spores258 72 375 Stachybotrys0 0 3 All Other Spores287 232 347 MEAN TOTAL SPORES/m 3 5,762 4,690 7,396 Concentration of Select Spore Types in Mid-October 2003, 2004, and 2005

8. Comparison of Oct 2003 and 2005 ► Burkard data  24 days in 2005: Oct 8 – 31  22 days in 2003: Oct 8 – 30 (no slides for Oct 23 and 31) ► 30 taxa counted  No significant difference in total spore concentrations or Cladosporium concentrations  Several taxa had significantly different spore levels

9. Mean Concentration of Select Spore Types in New Orleans Atmosphere during October 2003 and October 2005 Spore Type Mean Concentration (Spores/m 3 ) t (df)p 2003 2005 Ascospores845 548 4.3(44) <0.001 Basidiospores1324 573 3.0(44) <0.01 Chaetomium0.44 17 -9.2(44) <0.001 Cladosporium3009 3232 -0.1(44) >0.05 Penicillum/Aspergillus type885 (13%) 1562 (23%) -4.4(44) <0.001 Total spores6935 6828 0.41(44) >0.05

10. New Orleans Precipitation Month Normal rainfall: 30 year average Rainfall during Fall 2005 September 14.1 cm 10.72 cm October 7.75 cm 0.11 cm November 12.93 cm 1.92 cm

17. Taxa in post-Katrina atmosphere Eurotium ascosporesChaetomium ascospore Myrothecium conidia Stachybotrys conidium

18. Grab Samples ► 55 outdoor samples from 23 locations in flooded areas of the city ► Collected from Sept 12 to Nov 22 with Burkard personal samplers ► Roof top and ground level samples collected ► Spores identified and categorized by height above ground and in ecological grouping ► Change in composition also evident in the grab samples

19. Location of Grab Samples

22. Conclusions ► Total outdoor spore levels and Cladosporium levels were not significantly different following Hurricane Katrina when compared to 2003 ► Composition of the air spora changed with Penicillium/Aspergillus type spores showing significant increases ► Chaetomium and Eurotium ascospores and Stachybotrys conidia were registered in Oct 2005 ► Airborne basidiospores and ascospores were significantly lower in Oct 2005