The Monitoring of Fungal Contamination in Indoor Air of Two Hospitals in Shiraz

Abstract

Introduction: Hospitals, as one of the important elements in the health system, play an important role in patient’s health. Fungi are one of the effective parameters on indoor air quality. This study aimed to compare of fungal contamination of two hospitals in Shiraz City.
 Materials and Methods: Sampling was conducted based on NIOSH 0800 standard (1.5 meters above the ground level with one stage Anderson and Sabaroud dextrose agar enriched chloramphenicol as the growth media) in January-September 2017. The investigated wards included pathological laboratory, emergency rooms, neonatal specialist care, radiology, operating room, and maternity ward. The results showed that the variation and concentration of fungi were higher in hospital X than hospital Y, which was located in an agricultural area far from the city center.
 Results: The predominant fungi were Monillia, Aspergillus, and Penicillium in hospital Y, while they were Aspergillus and Penicillium in hospital X. The highest concentrations were found in emergency and laboratory wards. With regard to higher fungal contamination of hospital X and its different location, it can be concluded that the geographical properties and outdoor air are effective factors on indoor air contamination at hospitals. 
 Conclusion: Appropriate management of patients' admission and visiting time can be effective on indoor air contamination at hospitals. Furthermore, efficient ventilation using high-efficiency particulate air and appropriate devices for elimination of fungi level are recommended to this end. Moreover, these parameters can provide physical and psychometric health problems for patients’ careers and other health workers.

Air quality and microbiological control in a hospital in Paraíba, Brazil

“…In addition, pregnant women, ICU patients, and newborns under one year of age are more susceptible to these pathogens. The presence of fungi in the hospital can also be a risk factor for the health of workers and hospital employees (Abbasi et al 2019). As seen in the present study, of the five ICU rooms, three of them were committed to levels above the acceptable level, that is, in bad conditions.…”

“…Results presented in other studies may vary depending on the type of hospital, location, number of patients and visitors, climatic conditions, geographic location, and laboratory conditions, such as incubation temperature and culture medium. As the hospital is located in the middle of the city and close to an urban road, the entry of more pollutants from vehicles may be common; Hospitals located in the metropolitan area, surrounded by vegetation and pastures have the lowest amount of pollutants (Abbasi et al 2019). Although it has been argued that a source of fungal spores inside the building, including structures and construction conditions, fungal contamination can also be caused by colonies that grow on trees, plants, and shrubs and entrances inside through the door and window (Dannemiller et al 2016).…”