https://doi.org/10.4081/itjm.2016.663

Assessment of indoor and outdoor airborne fungi in an Educational, Research and Treatment Center

Vol. 11 No. 1 (2017)
Submitted: 22 September 2015
Accepted: 4 April 2016
Published: 17 June 2016
Hospital wards, bio-aerosol, airborne fungal, Mashhad.
Abstract Views: 2902
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Authors

Nasrin Rostami
Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran, Islamic Republic of.
Hossien Alidadi
Environmental Health Department, Health Sciences Research Center, School of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran, Islamic Republic of.
Hossein Zarrinfar
Zarrinfarh@mums.ac.ir
Allergy 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, Mashhad, Iran, Islamic Republic of.
Pegah Salehi
Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Esfahan University of Medical Sciences, Esfahan, Iran, Islamic Republic of.
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%), Penicillium spp. (16.34%), Alternaria spp. (14.39%), Aspergillus niger (11.28%), A. flavus (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.

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Supporting Agencies

Mashhad University of Medical Sciences
Hossein Zarrinfar, Allergy 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, Mashhad
Medical Mycology and Parasitology

How to Cite

Rostami, N., Alidadi, H., Zarrinfar, H., & Salehi, P. (2016). Assessment of indoor and outdoor airborne fungi in an Educational, Research and Treatment Center. Italian Journal of Medicine, 11(1), 52–56. https://doi.org/10.4081/itjm.2016.663

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