A Qualitative and Quantitative Study Monitoring Airborne Fungal Flora in the Kidney Transplant Unit

Abstract

BackgroundSolid organ transplantation patients are at high risk for opportunistic air-borne fungal infections due to using the potent immunosuppressive agents.ObjectivesThe current study aimed to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate the fungal flora present in the air of Kidney transplant unit of Baqiyatallah hospital.Materials and MethodsIn this prospective study, air samples from patient room, baths site, ICU and isolated room, corridor site and outside the ward were obtained by settled plate technique using plates containing Sabouraud's dextrose agar medium. In the current study, 36 agar plates containing Sabouraud dextrose agar medium were used. The plates were exposed for 20 min at height of 100-150 cm above the ground in units of hospital. Immediately after collection, samples were incubated at 27 ± 2ºC for four weeks. The slide culture method and Lacto-phenol cotton blue were used for definitive identification and staining fungal cultures, respectively.ResultsThe mean of colony forming units (CFUs) on indoor and outdoor plates was 6.6 ± 1.3 and 6 ± 1.9 / plate respectively. Statistical analysis showed that the observed difference is not significant. Also, the results showed that the mean of CFUs in the air of patient's rooms (6.8 ± 1.7), halls (4.5 ± 1.7), bathrooms (6.8 ± 1.5), and ICU rooms (3.2 ± 1.8) were not significantly different. The mean of different fungal genera isolated from indoor and outdoor plates were 1.9 ± 0.2 and 4 ± 0.5 genera/plate respectively, that indicates significant difference between indoor and outdoor air quality (P < 0.001).ConclusionsLack of difference between quantity of outdoor and indoor air fungi indicates inefficiency of air control measures, and indoor lower genus diversity compared to outdoor air shows that there may be conditions that facilitate fungal growth in the environment of kidney transplantation unit.

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

“…Airborne fungal [ spores are very important agents in nosocomial infection and respiratory diseases and their effect on human health linked with their genera, species and concentrations in air. 9,11 Many studies have showed the relationship between HAI or nosocomial infection and the existence of microorganisms in hospital environments, including in the air of wards. 3,8 As an example, HAI rates have ranged from 1% in parts of Europe and North America to more than 40% in certain parts of Asia, Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa.…”

“…10 The Petri dishes were put at a height of 100-150 cm above the ground level during sampling for 20 min. 11 Finally over a three-month period, 108 plates were exposed to selective wards indoor air and 84 plates to outdoor air and samples were collected.…”

Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment of Airborne Fungal Spores in the Hospitals Environment of Ahvaz City (2016)

“…In this study, environments of all wards were contaminated with types of fungi. Several researchers isolated a variety of fungi with different proportions from indoor environments of hospitals (7,15,18,(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25). In this study, among filamentous fungi, Cladosporium spp.…”

Airborne fungi in an intensive care unit

“…Although, fungal spores have the capacity to develop into different environments, they are considered inoffensive in immunocompetent subjects, but fatal in hospital inpatients receiving imunosuppressive medication (Afshari et al, 2013). It should be considered factors such as the fungal concentration, genus and species diversity, as well as their distribution characteristics in the environment, as shocking when considering the immunocompromised patients'condition (Zhang et al, 2015).…”