Non-Seasonal Variation of Airborne Aspergillus Spore Concentration in a Hospital Building.
Int J Environ Res Public Health
; 12(11): 13730-8, 2015 Oct 28.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-26516890
ABSTRACT
Nosocomial fungal infections are gaining increased attention from infectiologists. An adequate investigation into the levels of airborne Aspergillus and other fungal spores in hospital settings, under normal conditions, is largely unknown. We monitored airborne spore contamination in a Swiss hospital building in order to establish a seasonally-dependent base-line level. Air was sampled using an impaction technique, twice weekly, at six different locations over one year. Specimens were seeded in duplicate on Sabouraud agar plates. Grown colonies were identified to genus levels. The airborne Aspergillus spore concentration was constantly low throughout the whole year, at a median level of 2 spores/m³ (inter-quartile range = IQR 1-4), and displayed no seasonal dependency. The median concentration of other fungal spores was higher and showed a distinct seasonal variability with the ambient temperature change during the different seasons 82 spores/m³ (IQR 26-126) in summer and 9 spores/m³ (IQR 6-15) in winter. The spore concentration varied considerably between the six sampling sites in the building (10 to 26 spores/m³). This variability may explain the variability of study results in the literature.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Aspergillus
/
Esporas Fúngicas
/
Microbiología del Aire
/
Hospitales
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Int J Environ Res Public Health
Año:
2015
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Suiza