Diurnal distribution of airborne bacteria and fungi in the atmosphere of Helwan area, Egypt

Airborne bacterial and fungal composition in an industrial town of Helwan, Egypt, was studied using a slit impactor sampler during the period from March 2006 to February 2007. Airborne bacterial concentrations were usually higher than fungi. Bacteria and fungi had similar diurnal variation patterns. Airborne microorganisms reached their concentration peaks in the evening and gradually decreased during the night time. The hourly concentration peaks of the bacteria and fungi appeared at 20:00 h. A significant difference (P ≤ 0.05) was found between the hourly mean concentrations of airborne fungi in winter compared to other seasons. Fungi concentrations were significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) on working weekdays than weekends. Aspergillus, Penicillium, Alternaria and Cladosporium were the most predominant airborne fungal genera. Aspergillus showed double peak patterns whereas Penicillium, Alternaria and Cladosporium showed one peak pattern. The diurnal variations of the bacteria and fungi could be divided into four periods: 1) the morning maximum concentration (6:00 h–10:00 h), 2) midday to afternoon pattern (10:00 h–16:00 h), 3) the evening concentration peak (18:00 h–20:00 h) and 4) the gradual decrease of night time concentration (22:00 h–24:00 h). Geographical location, human activity, growth cycle of organisms and meteorological factors were the main criteria controlling the temporal variations of the air microorganisms in the Wadi Hof area.