Analysis of Mould Exposure of Immunosuppressed Patients at a German University Hospital
Moulds are ubiquitous components of outdoor and indoor air and local conditions, temperature, humidity and season can influence their concentration in the air. The impact of these factors on mould exposure in hospitals and the resulting risk of infection for low to moderately immunocompromised patie...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Microorganisms |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/11/2652 |
| _version_ | 1797458313077587968 |
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| author | Danuta Puhlmann Dominic Bergmann Silke Besier Michael Hogardt Thomas A. Wichelhaus Sabine Langhans Daniel Hack Claudia Reinheimer Maria J. G. T. Vehreschild Jens Jung Volkhard A. J. Kempf |
| author_facet | Danuta Puhlmann Dominic Bergmann Silke Besier Michael Hogardt Thomas A. Wichelhaus Sabine Langhans Daniel Hack Claudia Reinheimer Maria J. G. T. Vehreschild Jens Jung Volkhard A. J. Kempf |
| author_sort | Danuta Puhlmann |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Moulds are ubiquitous components of outdoor and indoor air and local conditions, temperature, humidity and season can influence their concentration in the air. The impact of these factors on mould exposure in hospitals and the resulting risk of infection for low to moderately immunocompromised patients is unclear. In the present retrospective analysis for the years 2018 to 2022, the monthly determined mould contamination of the outdoor and indoor air at the University Hospital Frankfurt am Main is compared with the average air temperature and the relative humidity. Mould infections (<i>Aspergillus</i> spp., Mucorales) of low to moderately immunosuppressed patients of a haematological-oncological normal ward were determined clinically according to the criteria of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC, Brussels, Belgium) and of the National Reference Centre for Surveillance of Nosocomial Infections (NRC-NI, Berlin, Germany). The data revealed that in the summer months (May–October), increased mould contamination was detectable in the outdoor and indoor air compared to the winter months (November–April). The mould levels in the patient rooms followed the detection rates of the outdoor air. Two nosocomial <i>Aspergillus</i> infections, one nosocomial Mucorales (<i>Rhizopus</i> spp.) infection (according to both NRC-NI and EORTC criteria) and five <i>Aspergillus</i> spp. infections (according to EORTC criteria) occurred in 4299 treated patients (resulting in 41,500 patient days). In our study, the incidence density rate of contracting a nosocomial mould infection (<i>n</i> = 3) was approximately 0.07 per 1000 patient days and appears to be negligible. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:36:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7999042f808148b2a6babdc471317407 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:36:17Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj.art-7999042f808148b2a6babdc4713174072023-11-24T14:56:47ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072023-10-011111265210.3390/microorganisms11112652Analysis of Mould Exposure of Immunosuppressed Patients at a German University HospitalDanuta Puhlmann0Dominic Bergmann1Silke Besier2Michael Hogardt3Thomas A. Wichelhaus4Sabine Langhans5Daniel Hack6Claudia Reinheimer7Maria J. G. T. Vehreschild8Jens Jung9Volkhard A. J. Kempf10Institute for Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, GermanyInstitute for Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, GermanyInstitute for Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, GermanyInstitute for Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, GermanyInstitute for Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, GermanyInstitute for Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, GermanyInstitute for Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, GermanyInstitute for Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, GermanyDepartment for Internal Medicine II, University Hospital, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, GermanyDepartment 1—Finance and Patient Services, University Hospital, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, GermanyInstitute for Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, GermanyMoulds are ubiquitous components of outdoor and indoor air and local conditions, temperature, humidity and season can influence their concentration in the air. The impact of these factors on mould exposure in hospitals and the resulting risk of infection for low to moderately immunocompromised patients is unclear. In the present retrospective analysis for the years 2018 to 2022, the monthly determined mould contamination of the outdoor and indoor air at the University Hospital Frankfurt am Main is compared with the average air temperature and the relative humidity. Mould infections (<i>Aspergillus</i> spp., Mucorales) of low to moderately immunosuppressed patients of a haematological-oncological normal ward were determined clinically according to the criteria of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC, Brussels, Belgium) and of the National Reference Centre for Surveillance of Nosocomial Infections (NRC-NI, Berlin, Germany). The data revealed that in the summer months (May–October), increased mould contamination was detectable in the outdoor and indoor air compared to the winter months (November–April). The mould levels in the patient rooms followed the detection rates of the outdoor air. Two nosocomial <i>Aspergillus</i> infections, one nosocomial Mucorales (<i>Rhizopus</i> spp.) infection (according to both NRC-NI and EORTC criteria) and five <i>Aspergillus</i> spp. infections (according to EORTC criteria) occurred in 4299 treated patients (resulting in 41,500 patient days). In our study, the incidence density rate of contracting a nosocomial mould infection (<i>n</i> = 3) was approximately 0.07 per 1000 patient days and appears to be negligible.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/11/2652mouldimmunosuppressed patientsmicrobial contaminationfungiaspergillusindoor air quality |
| spellingShingle | Danuta Puhlmann Dominic Bergmann Silke Besier Michael Hogardt Thomas A. Wichelhaus Sabine Langhans Daniel Hack Claudia Reinheimer Maria J. G. T. Vehreschild Jens Jung Volkhard A. J. Kempf Analysis of Mould Exposure of Immunosuppressed Patients at a German University Hospital Microorganisms mould immunosuppressed patients microbial contamination fungi aspergillus indoor air quality |
| title | Analysis of Mould Exposure of Immunosuppressed Patients at a German University Hospital |
| title_full | Analysis of Mould Exposure of Immunosuppressed Patients at a German University Hospital |
| title_fullStr | Analysis of Mould Exposure of Immunosuppressed Patients at a German University Hospital |
| title_full_unstemmed | Analysis of Mould Exposure of Immunosuppressed Patients at a German University Hospital |
| title_short | Analysis of Mould Exposure of Immunosuppressed Patients at a German University Hospital |
| title_sort | analysis of mould exposure of immunosuppressed patients at a german university hospital |
| topic | mould immunosuppressed patients microbial contamination fungi aspergillus indoor air quality |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/11/2652 |
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