Resuspension of microbes in floor dust and subsequent inhalation by human occupants is an important source of human microbial exposure. Microbes in carpet dust grow at elevated levels of relative humidity, but rates of this growth are not well established, especially under changing conditions. The goal of this study was to model fungal growth in carpet dust based on indoor diurnal variations in relative humidity utilizing the time‐of‐wetness framework. A chamber study was conducted on carpet and dust collected from 19 homes in Ohio, USA and exposed to varying moisture conditions of 50%, 85%, and 100% relative humidity. Fungal growth followed the two activation regime model, while bacterial growth could not be evaluated using the framework. Collection site was a stronger driver of species composition (P = 0.001, R² = 0.461) than moisture conditions (P = 0.001, R² = 0.021). Maximum moisture condition was associated with species composition within some individual sites (P = 0.001‐0.02, R² = 0.1‐0.33). Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Wallemia were common fungal genera found among samples at elevated moisture conditions. These findings can inform future studies of associations between dampness/mold in homes and health outcomes and allow for prediction of microbial growth in the indoor environment.

中文翻译：

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使用“润湿时间”框架对暴露于相对湿度的昼夜变化的地毯灰尘中的微生物生长进行建模。

微生物在地板灰尘中的悬浮和随后被人类吸入是人类暴露于微生物的重要来源。地毯尘埃中的微生物会在相对湿度升高的情况下生长，但这种增长的速度尚不明确，尤其是在不断变化的条件下。这项研究的目的是利用湿润时间框架，根据室内相对湿度的昼夜变化，对地毯灰尘中的真菌生长进行建模。对从美国俄亥俄州的19所房屋收集的地毯和灰尘进行了室内研究，并将其暴露在相对湿度为50％，85％和100％的不同湿度条件下。真菌生长遵循两种激活机制模型，而细菌生长无法使用该框架进行评估。收集地点是物种组成的更强驱动力（P ＝ 0.001，R ²  ＝ 0.461）比水分条件（P  ＝ 0.001，R ²  ＝ 0.021）。在某些地点，最大水分条件与物种组成有关（P  = 0.001-0.02，R ²  = 0.1-0.33）。在高湿度条件下的样品中发现曲霉，青霉和Wallemia是常见的真菌属。这些发现可以为将来关于房屋中的潮湿/霉菌与健康状况之间关系的研究提供参考，并可以预测室内环境中微生物的生长情况。