Biology & Sustainability

Event Title

Control Measures For Reducing Amount of Allergenic Molds Carried by Seed Beetles in a Science Classroom Setting

Document Type

Poster Presentation

Location

Indianapolis, IN

Subject Area

Biology & Sustainability

Start Date

11-4-2014 8:30 AM

End Date

11-4-2014 9:30 AM

Description

Manageable body size, inability to fly, simple life history, hardiness, and ease of handling have quickly made the seed beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus, a staple for hands-on projects and in biology lessons taught nationwide from elementary school classrooms to undergraduate biology laboratories. Working with insects and their debris routinely results in mold-related allergies, as is well-known to people that work with insects (essentially what the students would be doing), with symptoms ranging from skin irritation to watery eyes, sneezing, difficulty breathing, and in severe cases anaphylaxis. Based on the premise that the beetle colony may be a rich source of allergenic molds, our goal was to culture fungi for identification and enumeration from live beetles, dead beetles, and their storage containers of mung beans and cowpeas. Beetle colonies from elementary schools, university insectary, and commercial supplier were sampled. Many fungi representing nine genera were recovered, including Aspergillus, mainly A. niger, Alternaria, Rhizopus and Mucor, all of which are medically significant and found in all sites (similar Simpson index) sampled. The largest difference was observed in colonies where beetles fed and hatched from mung beans than cowpeas, noting a 2/3 reduction in total molds when beetles were raised on mung beans. We also noted nearly double the mold level in older cultures than newer ones. Our conclusion is that disposing of old, used seeds and rearing on mung beans are two steps that can be taken to reduce allergenic molds and make using these beetles more safe for students.

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Apr 11th, 8:30 AM Apr 11th, 9:30 AM

Control Measures For Reducing Amount of Allergenic Molds Carried by Seed Beetles in a Science Classroom Setting

Indianapolis, IN

Manageable body size, inability to fly, simple life history, hardiness, and ease of handling have quickly made the seed beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus, a staple for hands-on projects and in biology lessons taught nationwide from elementary school classrooms to undergraduate biology laboratories. Working with insects and their debris routinely results in mold-related allergies, as is well-known to people that work with insects (essentially what the students would be doing), with symptoms ranging from skin irritation to watery eyes, sneezing, difficulty breathing, and in severe cases anaphylaxis. Based on the premise that the beetle colony may be a rich source of allergenic molds, our goal was to culture fungi for identification and enumeration from live beetles, dead beetles, and their storage containers of mung beans and cowpeas. Beetle colonies from elementary schools, university insectary, and commercial supplier were sampled. Many fungi representing nine genera were recovered, including Aspergillus, mainly A. niger, Alternaria, Rhizopus and Mucor, all of which are medically significant and found in all sites (similar Simpson index) sampled. The largest difference was observed in colonies where beetles fed and hatched from mung beans than cowpeas, noting a 2/3 reduction in total molds when beetles were raised on mung beans. We also noted nearly double the mold level in older cultures than newer ones. Our conclusion is that disposing of old, used seeds and rearing on mung beans are two steps that can be taken to reduce allergenic molds and make using these beetles more safe for students.