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Abstract
Using the plate exposition technique, fungal spores from the atmosphere of five teaching laboratories from the Biology building of the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus, were obtained. Malt Extract Agar was used as a culture medium. The genera and species identified were: Aspergillus niger var awamori van Tiegh, Aspergillus niger var niger van Tiegh, Aspergillus fumigatus Fres., Aspergillus parasiticus Speare, Cladosporium cladosporioides (Fresen) De Vries, Cladosporium oxysporum Berk & Curt, Cladosporium sphaerospermum Penz, Curvularia lunata (Wakker) Boedjin, Curvularia pallescens Boedjin, Neurospora spp. Shear & B. O. Dodge, Penicillium citrinum Thom, Penicillium glabrum (Wehnier) Westling, Penicillium implicatum Biourge, Rhizopus stolonifer Ehrenberg and Trichoderma hamatum Persoon ex Fr. "Sterile micelia" were also found. Cladosporium spp. and "sterile micelia" were the most abundant fungi and Rhizopus spp. were the least abundant. Aspergillus fumigatus and A. parasiticus are pathogens. Contamination of the classrooms was exogenous and the number of colony forming units exceeded some author's standards.
