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Direct Assessment of Microbial Colonisation in Damp Houses by Chemical Marker Analysis

Department of Medical Microbiology, Dermatology and Infection, University of Lund, Sweden, Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland

Anita Szponar

BOREAS Architecture and Indoor Bioclimate Co., Wroclaw, Poland

Lennart Larsson

Department of Medical Microbiology, Dermatology and Infection, University of Lund, Sweden, Lennart.Larsson{at}mmb.lu.se

Ergosterol was used as a marker of fungal biomass and 3-hydroxy fatty acids were used as markers of bacterial endotoxin to determine microbial colonisation of building materials by gas chromatographymass spectrometry. Pieces (0.3-0.5 g) of materials from two water-damaged buildings were hydrolysed to liberate the markers from larger microbial structures; the preparations were then purified, derivatised, and analysed. The marker patterns obtained revealed that the microbial communities differed between the two buildings both qualitatively and quantitatively. The chemical-analytical method described should be useful for detecting and characterising microbial colonisation on surfaces in, for example, damp buildings.

Key Words: Ergosterol • 3-Hydroxy fatty acids • Bacteria • Fungi Building materials

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