Percorrer por autor "Taborda-Barata, L."
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- Characterization of fungal communities in house dust samples collected from central Portugal-a preliminary surveyPublication . Sousa, A.; Almeida, J.R.; Pereira, C.C.; Ramiro Pastorinho, M.; Pereira, Â.M.; Nogueira, A.J.; Taborda-Barata, L.; Teixeira, João Paulo; Correia, A.C.; Alves, A.House dust is a repository and concentrator of many chemical and biological agents including fungi. Considering that dust acts as a long-term reservoir of airborne fungi and that cumulative exposure is more relevant to potential health problems than single-day or short-term exposure, characterization of fungal communities in dust samples is of paramount importance. In the present study, the fungal composition of Portuguese house dust samples was determined. A total of 28 samples were obtained from vacuum cleaner deposits from households located in central Portugal. DNA was extracted from dust samples and fungal communities were analyzed using a culture-independent polymerase chain reaction (PCR)- denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) approach. Cultural analyses were also performed in order to identify the viable fungi species present in selected samples. Fungal diversity, reported as the number of operational taxonomic units (OTU), varied between 9 and 56 OTU. This analysis of viable fungi showed that Aspergillus was the most abundant genus, followed by Penicillium, Mucor, and Rhizomucor. Trichoderma, Chrysosporium, Fusarium, Rhizopus, and Stachybotrys were found in a limited number of houses. Our results demonstrated that dust is, in fact, home for a diverse and heterogeneous fungal community and that some of the species found are known allergic agents with severe negative impacts on human health.
- Fungal communities in house dust samples from patients with asthma: preliminary resultsPublication . Amaro, R.; Coelho, S.D.; Teixeira, J. P.; Pereira, C.C.; Pastorinho, M.R.; Taborda-Barata, L.; Sousa, A.C.A.People spend about 90% of their time indoors, being exposed to a large number of indoor contaminants, including fungi. Some fungi are associated with a wide range of adverse health effects, including the risk of asthma onset or exacerbation. Many studies support this fact, showing associations between the exposure to indoor damp and mould and the risk of asthma.
- House dust fungal communities’ characterization: a double take on the six by sixty by six project (6x60x6)Publication . Amaro, R.; Coelho, S.D.; Pastorinho, M.R.; Taborda-Barata, L.; Vaz-Patto, M.A.; Monteiro, M.; Nepomuceno, M.; Lanzinha, J.C.G.; Teixeira, J.P.; Pereira, C.C.; Sousa, A.C.A.Fungi are a group microbes, that are found with particular incidence in the indoor environment. Their direct toxicity or capability of generating toxic compounds has been associated with a large number of adverse health effects, such as infectious diseases, allergies and other toxic effects. Our study aims to quantify and identify the fungal community on house dust samples collected using two different methodologies (an approach not often seen in the literature): active (vacuum cleaner bags) and passive sampling (dust settled in petri dishes).
- Issue 1 - “Update on adverse respiratory effects of outdoor air pollution” Part 2): Outdoor air pollution and respiratory diseases: Perspectives from Angola, Brazil, Canada, Iran, Mozambique and PortugalPublication . Sousa, A.C.; Pastorinho, M.R.; Masjedi, M.R.; Urrutia-Pereira, M.; Arrais, M.; Nunes, E.; To, T.; Ferreira, A.J.; Robalo-Cordeiro, C.; Borrego, C.; Teixeira, J.P.; Taborda-Barata, L.Objective: To analyse the GARD perspective on the health effects of outdoor air pollution, and to synthesise the Portuguese epidemiological contribution to knowledge on its respiratory impact. Results: Ambient air pollution has deleterious respiratory effects which are more apparent in larger, densely populated and industrialised countries, such as Canada, Iran, Brazil and Portugal, but it also affects people living in low-level exposure areas. While low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), are particularly affected, evidence based on epidemiological studies from LMICs is both limited and heterogeneous. While nationally, Portugal has a relatively low level of air pollution, many major cities face with substantial air pollution problems. Time series and cross-sectional epidemiological studies have suggested increased respiratory hospital admissions, and increased risk of respiratory diseases in people who live in urban areas and are exposed to even a relatively low level of air pollution. Conclusions: Adverse respiratory effects due to air pollution, even at low levels, have been confirmed by epidemiological studies. However, evidence from LMICs is heterogeneous and relatively limited. Furthermore, longitudinal cohort studies designed to study and quantify the link between exposure to air pollutants and respiratory diseases are needed. Worldwide, an integrated approach must involve multi-level stakeholders including governments (in Portugal, the Portuguese Ministry of Health, which hosts GARD-Portugal), academia, health professionals, scientific societies, patient associations and the community at large. Such an approach not only will garner a robust commitment, establish strong advocacy and clear objectives, and raise greater awareness, it will also support a strategy with adequate measures to be implemented to achieve better air quality and reduce the burden of chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs).
- microRESPIRA: Microbial community in houses from patients with chronic respiratory diseases in EstarrejaPublication . Sousa, A.C.A.; Henriques, I.; Amaro, R.; Coelho, S.D.; Maricoto, T.; Pereira, C.C.; Silva, T.; Taborda-Barata, L.; Teixeira, J.P.; Valente, C.; Pastorinho, M.R.Main goal: To provide a global picture on the prevalence of chronic respiratory diseases in Estarreja and to characterize, for the 1st time, the indoor microbiome (fungi and bacteria).