Fungal diversity and Aspergillus species in hospital environments
Journal Title: Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine - Year 2016, Vol 23, Issue 2
Abstract
[b]Introduction and objective.[/b] Nosocomial invasive fungal infections, particularly aspergillosis, are an increasing problem in immunocompromised patients. The presented study evaluates fungal diversity and the presence of [i]Aspergillus[/i] in air samples from two hospitals. [b]Materials and methods.[/b] Over the course of one year (rainy and dry seasons), the air was sampled from three areas in two hospitals (1 and 2) using a single-stage Andersen viable particle sampler (Thermo Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA). The fungi were identified by macro- and micromorphology, and the number of colony forming units (CFU)/m[sup]3[/sup] air and their richness, abundance, and diversity were determined. Isolates [i]Aspergillus[/i] genus were characterized by their thermotolerance. [b]Results. [/b]The CFU/m[sup]3[/sup] air was similar at both hospitals during the two seasons, but different between the sampled areas. Results showed 10 fungal genera for hospital 1, and 8 for hospital 2. The most abundant were [i]Penicillium[/i], [i]Cladosporium[/i] and [i]Aspergillus[/i]. The thermotolerance test confirmed the identification of [i]A. fumigatus[/i] section [i]Fumigati[/i]. The highest growth rate was found in [i]Aspergillus[/i] section [i]Nigri[/i]. [b]Conclusion.[/b] Determining the fungal diversity in the two hospitals was important because all the species have the potential to be pathogenic, especially the section [i]Fumigati[/i].
Authors and Affiliations
Erick Obed Martínez-Herrera, María Guadalupe Frías De-León, Esperanza Duarte-Escalante, María del Carmen Calderón-Ezquerro, María del Carme Jiménez-Martínez, Gustavo Acosta-Altamirano, Facundo Rivera-Becerril, Conchita Toriello, María del Rocío Reyes Montes
Keywords
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