Because of the frequency of hidden mold growth in buildings with a history of chronic water intrusion, most experienced investigators use a mixture of bulk and air samplig for biologicals. Both methods of testing increases the liklehood of discovering the proximity of and defining the biodiversity of biological reserviors.
Fungal spores decline in viability from the moment they are produced.
Stachybotrys Chartarum decline in viability very quickly. The finding of Sachybotrys from air samples collected on culture media must be treated differently than a fininding of a Penicillium species. The numbers of propagules determined by culture are substantially less than those determined by direct methods. When collecting air samples, collect both types of particles. Small particles are deposited upon this plate, which is subsequently incubated and the resultant colonies identified and enumerated.