Evaluation of bio-aerosols type, density, and modeling of dispersion in inside and outside of different wards of educational hospital

Abstract

Exposure to bioaerosols in the air of hospitals is associated with a wide range of adverse health effects due to the presence of airborne microorganisms. Intensity and type of health effects depend on many factors such as the type, density, and diversity of bioaerosols in hospital environments. Therefore, identifying and determining their distribution in hospital environment contribute to reduce their adverse effects and maintain the physical health of patients and staff, as well as find the source of infections and possible allergies due to the presence of bioaerosols. Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine the type and concentration of the bacterial and fungal bioaerosols, and their distribution in the indoor and outdoor air of a teaching hospital to establish a reference for future studies or measures. The air samples were collected with a one-stage Anderson sampler and particle mass counter for a period of four months in the fall and winter of 2019. In total, 262 bacterial and fungal samples were collected from the air of the wards of Tohid Hospital, Sanandaj, Iran. Antibiotic resistance test, bacterial identification by PCR method, and modeling the dispersion of concentrations of bio-aerosols were also conducted. In order to identify bacteria and fungi, some biochemical and molecular tests and microscopic and macroscopic characteristic methods were applied, respectively. The results showed that the highest and lowest densities of the bioaerosols were observed in lung and operating wards (336.67 and 15.25 CFU/m 3 ). Moreover, the highest and least concentrations of particles were seen in the emergency and operating wards, respectively. The most common fungi isolated from the hospital air were Penicillium (24.7%), Cladosporium (23. 4%), Aspergillus niger (13.3%), and Aspergillus Flavus (11.4%). Furthermore, the highest concentration of the isolated bacterium was Staphylococcus hemolyticus (31.84%). Most bacteria showed the highest resistance to gentamicin. The overall average hospital air pollution to bioaerosols was slightly higher than the standards proposed by international organizations. Due to the high concentration of bioaerosols and particles in the studied hospital, providing suitable conditions such as temperature, humidity, proper ventilation, and intelligent air conditioning system using efficient ventilation systems, and restricting the entrance of wards can reduce airborne particles in hospital environment.

Investigation of Bioaerosols and the Microbiological Indoor Air Quality in an Urban Nursery School in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

“…Exophiala and Mucor spp. Some of these fungi were also isolated by Amemeh et al [29] in a related study. The presence of Aspergillus and Penicillium could be because they have high growth ability in different climatic conditions and by producing small light spores which remain in the air [30].…”

May the Pathogenic Microbes Not Be with You: Core Microbiome Profiling in Hospital Airspace

“…Besides, this nding also brings a new insight as most of studies conducted in the indoor air found bacterial genera that dominated those environments to be closely related to human ora [47][48][49]. The presence of Rubrobacter spp., in ward is worrying as some species like Rubrobacter radiotolerans RSPS-4 are extremely resistant to gamma and UV radiation [50].…”

Evaluación microbiológica del caudal de impulsión y extracción mecánica en habitaciones hospitalarias de aislados infecciosos e inmunodeprimidos

“…La concentración más alta de las bacterias aisladas fue Staphylococcus hemolyticus (31,84%). Por otra parte, el promedio general de contaminación del aire hospitalario por bioaerosoles fue ligeramente superior a los estándares propuestos por los organismos internacionales (Yousefzadeh et al, 2022).…”