Airborne fungi in an intensive care units anda surgical center of a university hospital
Keywords:
Seasons, Airborne fungi, Hospital, PrevalenceAbstract
Mould spores are widespread in the environment and can colonize the host's respiratory tract. ln hospitais and hea/th clinics, it is necessary to determine the concentration of anemophilous microorganisms from indoor and!or externai areas, with the purpose of identifying possible sources of contamination and potential diffusion of these pathogens. The maximum recommended value should be <750 CFU/m3 of fungi for the //E environment ratio of <1.5, the presence of pathogenic fungi being unacceptable. The aim was to monitor and characterize airborne fungi in a General Hospital, to evaluate the pathogenic potential of isolated strains and to compare internai and externai mycoflora. Samples were collected during the winter of 2008 and the summer of 2009, prior to the cleaning of the air-conditioning system. The evaluation of mycota in intensive care units and the surgical center was performed using the passive sedimentation technique. The strains of iso/ated filamentous fungi were subjected to a growth test at a temperature of 37°C. The colonies were identified using macroscopic and micromorphological features. During winter, 93 strains were isolated from inside the hospital and 356 outside the hospital (//E= 0.2). Three strains (A. clavatus, A. fumigatus, Penicillium sp.) from inside the hospital and 2 strains (Paecilomyces sp. and Penicillium sp.) from outside the hospital grew at 37°C (!!E= 1 5). During the summer, 116 strains from inside and 142 from outside the hospital were iso/ated (JIE = 0.8).
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