Post-Flood Impacts on Occurrence and Distribution of Mycotoxin-Producing Aspergilli from the Sections , and in Indoor Environment.

Mycotoxin-producing Aspergilli (, and ), usually associated with contaminated food, may also cause respiratory disorders and are insufficiently studied in water-damaged indoor environments. Airborne ( = 71) and dust borne ( = 76) Aspergilli collected at post-flood and control locations in Croatia resulted in eleven different species based on their calmodulin marker: , , and (); (); and , , , and (). Most of the airborne (73%) and dust borne (54%) isolates were found at post-flood locations, and the highest concentrations measured in indoor air (5720 colony-forming units (CFU)/m) and dust (2.5 × 10 CFU/g) were up to twenty times higher than in the control locations. dominated among airborne isolates (25%) at the unrepaired locations, while 56% of the dust borne Aspergilli were identified as and . The ability of identified isolates to produce mycotoxins aflatoxin B (AFB), fumonisin B (FB), and ochratoxin A were assessed by LC-MS analysis. All ochratoxin A (OTA)-producing belonged to (13.7 ± 15.81 µg/mL); in the section, produced AFB (2.51 ± 5.31 µg/mL), while and (section ) produced FB (6.76 ± 13.51 µg/mL and 11.24 ± 18.30 µg/mL, respectively). Water damage dominantly supported the occurrence of aflatoxigenic in indoor environments. Yet unresolved, the causal relationship of exposure to indoor Aspergilli and adverse health effects may support the significance of this research.