Assessment of Airborne Culturable Fungal Load in an Indoor Environment of Dormitory Rooms: The Case of University of Gondar Student’s Dormitory Rooms, Northwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Pollution caused by fungal contamination on building materials contributes to poor indoor air quality. Fungi are known to cause several health-related problems, such as acute toxicity, hypersensitivity, invasive mycoses, and respiratory problems. Thus, this study aimed to determine the load and diversity of airborne culturable fungi in the dormitory rooms. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March to June 2019 at the University of Gondar students’ dormitory rooms. Statistical analyses were carried out using Stata/SE 14.0. Spearman ranks correlation was used to assess the correlation of fungal load with indoor physical parameters. The median fungal loads were 250 CFU/m3 and 157 CFU/m3 in the morning and afternoon, respectively. Most commonly identified fungal genera/species were Aspergillus, Penicillium, Alternaria, Fusarium, Candida, Trichophyton, Piedraia, Microsporum, Geotrichum, Saccharomyces, Rhodotorula, Rhizopus, Exophiala, Arthroderma, Cladosporium, Gliocladium, and Botrytis. Formaldehyde ( r = −0.2859, P = .0031), temperature ( r = −0.2153, P = .0274), and CO2 ( r = −0.3785, P = .0001) were negatively correlated with airborne indoor fungal load in the morning and CO2 ( r = 0.3183, P = .0009) and temperature ( r = 0.2046, P = .0363) positively correlated with airborne indoor fungal load in the afternoon. As a conclusion, the airborne fungal load in the dormitory room was intermediate according to the European standard of nonindustrial premises. Substantial action should be taken to reduce the fungal contamination of indoor environments.

Bacterial Pathogens and Their Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns of Inanimate Surfaces and Equipment in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

“…Bacterial contamination of inanimate surfaces and equipment is problematic to overcome as it can serve as a reservoir for an unlimited period through a gradual cross-transmission of pathogens and subsequent contact with patients and HCWs at a time of disease management [8]. It can be caused by a range of bacterial (both Gram-positive and Gram-negative isolates) and fungal species [9][10][11][12]. A highly virulent pathogen such as Staphylococcus aureus (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA), Coagulase-negative Staphylococci (CoNS), Enterococcus species (vancomycin-resistant Enterococci), Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Clostridium difficile, and Acinetobacter baumannii are capable of harbouring on contaminated inanimate surfaces and medical apparatus [5].…”

Air pollution and its impact on the concentration of airborne fungi in the megacity of São Paulo, Brazil

“…The identified genus are the most common listed in literature for indoor and outdoor areas in urban environments (Andualem et al, 2020;Pyrri and Kapsanaki-Gotsi, 2017;Fang et al, 2019). Consequently, the environmental impact caused by the increase of vehicles and industries in the urban area may induce to diversity loss (Newbound et al, 2010;Abrego et al, 2020;Bezerra et al, 2014).…”

Museal Indoor Air Quality and Public Health: An Integrated Approach for Exhibits Preservation and Ensuring Human Health

“…At present, regarding the fungal loading of the museum indoor air, there are no regulations or standards, therefore; certain indicative norms were used, established based on studies in order to assess the air contamination degree in the rooms. According to European Commission's health standards [67,68], the degree of fungal contamination is determined depending on CFU/m 3 air, as follows: Very low-<25 CFU/m 3 , Low-25-100 CFU/m 3 , Medium-100-500 CFU/m 3 , High-500-2000 CFU/m 3 , Very high->2000 CFU/m 3 . In the case of the museum in Beius, the average number of CFU/m 3 air falls, depending on the area, between 200 and over 2000 (Figure 8A).…”