Caves and mines have a suitable microclimate in terms of temperature, humidity and air purity that could be exploited for speleotherapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the current load of allergenic airborne bioparticles of a subterranean environment being considered as a potential site for treating respiratory allergies. Sampling was performed over 12 months (2015–2016) inside and outside the Sant'Aloisio mine by: (i) continuous aerobiological sampling with Hirst-type samplers and (ii) monthly air sampling with an on-plate volumetric sampler using three different selective culture media. The following protocols were applied for the two methodologies: (i) Samples were processed following the European standard (UNI CEN/TS 16868:2015) and analyzed by light microscopy to identify and count pollen grains and fungal spores; (ii) plates were incubated, colony-forming units (CFU) were counted and concentration of CFU was calculated. Spore and pollen load, as evaluated by the continuous monitoring, resulted in very low values inside the mine, with a total of 106 pollen grains and 41 fungal spores from two species ( Alternaria and Cladosporium ) collected over the entire year; the pollen and spore concentration in the subterranean environment was negligible when compared to the open-air sampling (0.2% for pollen; 0.02% for spores). Viable airborne microorganisms were less represented in the mine than in the open air (median: 7 and 83 CFU*m −3 , respectively). The indoor air of the disused mine was confirmed to be suitable for hosting respiratory disease sufferers from an aerobiological point of view. The residual low quantity of pollen grains could be the result of unintentional human transport. The indoor fungal component of the viable airborne microorganisms was mostly derived from non-allergenic wood-decaying fungi.

中文翻译：

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在洞穴治疗地点罕见地出现空气中的生物颗粒：Sant'Aloisio 废弃菱铁矿矿（意大利布雷西亚）的案例研究

洞穴和矿山在温度、湿度和空气纯度方面具有合适的小气候，可用于洞穴疗法。本研究的目的是评估地下环境中过敏性空气传播生物颗粒的当前负荷，该环境被认为是治疗呼吸道过敏的潜在部位。在 Sant'Aloisio 矿内外的 12 个月（2015-2016 年）通过以下方式进行了采样：(i) 使用 Hirst 型采样器进行连续空气生物采样和 (ii) 使用三种不同选择性的板上容积采样器每月进行空气采样文化传媒。以下协议适用于两种方法： (i) 样品按照欧洲标准 (UNI CEN/TS 16868:2015) 进行处理，并通过光学显微镜进行分析，以识别和计数花粉粒和真菌孢子；(ii) 培养板，计算菌落形成单位 (CFU) 并计算 CFU 浓度。连续监测评估的孢子和花粉负荷导致矿内值非常低，全年共收集了来自两个物种（链格孢属和枝孢属）的 106 个花粉粒和 41 个真菌孢子；与露天采样相比，地下环境中的花粉和孢子浓度可以忽略不计（花粉为 0.2%；孢子为 0.02%）。与露天相比，矿井中存活的空气传播微生物较少（中位数：分别为 7 和 83 CFU*m -3 ）。从空气生物学的角度来看，废弃矿井的室内空气被证实适合收容呼吸系统疾病患者。残留的少量花粉可能是人类无意运输的结果。空气中存活微生物的室内真菌成分主要来自非过敏性木材腐烂真菌。