Fungal flora in rainwater

We analyzed rainwater samples collected throughout a year for fungal flora and compared the results to those from atmospheric samples. Differences between the seasonal variation in number of fungi in rainwater and that in number of fungi in the atmosphere were found; that is, there was less of a difference among rainfall samples from different sampling points than among atmospheric samples. In the rainwater samples 29 fungal genera were detected, whereas only 17 were detected in the atmospheric samples. The variations in Cladosporium and Penicillium were the determinants of the total number of fungi in rainwater, whereas in air the variation in Cladosporium alone was the determinant. Sampling of rainwater therefore can be expected to provide information on fungal flora in the troposphere that cannot be obtained by means of air sampling.