Assessment of indoor and outdoor airborne fungi in an Educational, Research and Treatment Center
Hospital environments contain different types of microorganisms. Airborne fungi are one of these microbes and the major source of hospital indoor contamination that will be able to cause airborne fungal diseases. In the current study, the total count and diversity of the airborne filamentous and yea...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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PAGEPress Publications
2016-06-01
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| Series: | Italian Journal of Medicine |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.italjmed.org/index.php/ijm/article/view/663 |
| _version_ | 1797431027153502208 |
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| author | Nasrin Rostami Hossien Alidadi Hossein Zarrinfar Pegah Salehi |
| author_facet | Nasrin Rostami Hossien Alidadi Hossein Zarrinfar Pegah Salehi |
| author_sort | Nasrin Rostami |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Hospital environments contain different types of microorganisms. Airborne fungi are one of these microbes and the major source of hospital indoor contamination that will be able to cause airborne fungal diseases. In the current study, the total count and diversity of the airborne filamentous and yeasts fungi were investigated in indoor and outdoor air of selective wards of Emam Reza Educational, Research and Treatment Center. This cross-sectional study was performed during the fall season. One hundred and ninety-two environmental samples of indoor and outdoor air from hematology, infectious diseases, Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) wards were collected by open plate technique (on Sabouraud dextrose agar media) once a week. The cultures were then examined and evaluated according to macroscopic and microscopic examination criteria. In this study, 67 (62.03%) of indoor samples and 81 (96.42%) of outdoor samples were positive for fungi. The most isolated fungi were yeast species (17.12%), <em>Penicillium</em> spp. (16.34%), <em>Alternaria</em> spp. (14.39%), <em>Aspergillus niger</em> (11.28%), <em>A. flavus</em> (8.95%), respectively. Almost all of the wards showed high rates of contamination by various fungi. However, the analysis of the data showed that indoor air of hematology ward had the highest fungal pollution. In contrast, the outdoor air of ENT had the highest fungal pollution. Thus, these results demonstrated that the cleansing and disinfection procedures in the hospital wards should be improved yet. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T09:37:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9c9bcd4b6bb24030a83da172965d79bf |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1877-9344 1877-9352 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T09:37:01Z |
| publishDate | 2016-06-01 |
| publisher | PAGEPress Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Italian Journal of Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-9c9bcd4b6bb24030a83da172965d79bf2023-12-02T01:46:45ZengPAGEPress PublicationsItalian Journal of Medicine1877-93441877-93522016-06-01111525610.4081/itjm.2016.663552Assessment of indoor and outdoor airborne fungi in an Educational, Research and Treatment CenterNasrin Rostami0Hossien Alidadi1Hossein Zarrinfar2Pegah Salehi3Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, ShirazEnvironmental Health Department, Health Sciences Research Center, School of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, MashhadAllergy Research Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad; Department of Parasitology and Mycology, Ghaem Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, MashhadEnvironmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Esfahan University of Medical Sciences, EsfahanHospital environments contain different types of microorganisms. Airborne fungi are one of these microbes and the major source of hospital indoor contamination that will be able to cause airborne fungal diseases. In the current study, the total count and diversity of the airborne filamentous and yeasts fungi were investigated in indoor and outdoor air of selective wards of Emam Reza Educational, Research and Treatment Center. This cross-sectional study was performed during the fall season. One hundred and ninety-two environmental samples of indoor and outdoor air from hematology, infectious diseases, Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) wards were collected by open plate technique (on Sabouraud dextrose agar media) once a week. The cultures were then examined and evaluated according to macroscopic and microscopic examination criteria. In this study, 67 (62.03%) of indoor samples and 81 (96.42%) of outdoor samples were positive for fungi. The most isolated fungi were yeast species (17.12%), <em>Penicillium</em> spp. (16.34%), <em>Alternaria</em> spp. (14.39%), <em>Aspergillus niger</em> (11.28%), <em>A. flavus</em> (8.95%), respectively. Almost all of the wards showed high rates of contamination by various fungi. However, the analysis of the data showed that indoor air of hematology ward had the highest fungal pollution. In contrast, the outdoor air of ENT had the highest fungal pollution. Thus, these results demonstrated that the cleansing and disinfection procedures in the hospital wards should be improved yet.http://www.italjmed.org/index.php/ijm/article/view/663Hospital wardsbio-aerosolairborne fungalMashhad. |
| spellingShingle | Nasrin Rostami Hossien Alidadi Hossein Zarrinfar Pegah Salehi Assessment of indoor and outdoor airborne fungi in an Educational, Research and Treatment Center Italian Journal of Medicine Hospital wards bio-aerosol airborne fungal Mashhad. |
| title | Assessment of indoor and outdoor airborne fungi in an Educational, Research and Treatment Center |
| title_full | Assessment of indoor and outdoor airborne fungi in an Educational, Research and Treatment Center |
| title_fullStr | Assessment of indoor and outdoor airborne fungi in an Educational, Research and Treatment Center |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessment of indoor and outdoor airborne fungi in an Educational, Research and Treatment Center |
| title_short | Assessment of indoor and outdoor airborne fungi in an Educational, Research and Treatment Center |
| title_sort | assessment of indoor and outdoor airborne fungi in an educational research and treatment center |
| topic | Hospital wards bio-aerosol airborne fungal Mashhad. |
| url | http://www.italjmed.org/index.php/ijm/article/view/663 |
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