Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment of Airborne Fungal Spores in the Hospitals Environment of Ahvaz City (2016)

Background: Invasive fungal infections acquired in the hospital have progressively emerged as an important cause of life-threatening infection. In particular, airborne fungi in hospitals are considered critical pathogens of hospital-associated infections. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the airborne fungi of indoor environments of educational hospitals in the city of Ahvaz, Iran. Methods: The air samples were taken from seven wards in five hospitals using Quick Take 30 sample pump. A total of 175 air samples were cultured into Sabouraud dextrose agar and incubated at 25°C for 7 to 10 days. Fungal species were identified by macroscopic and microscopic features. The number of airborne fungi was presented in colony-forming unit per cubic meter (CFU/m3). Results: A total of 2906 fungal colonies were isolated. The highest and least numbers of fungi were related to surgical (446 CFU/m3) and neonatal intensive care unit wards (103 CFU/m3), respectively. The most frequent fungal species was Cladosporium spp. (35.3%), followed by yeasts (27.3%), Aspergillus spp. (15.1%), Penicillium spp. (12.1%), and other fungal species (10.2%) Conclusions: All wards under study were heavily contaminated with different types of fungi. Thus, it is suggested to monitor the indoor air to prevent possible hospital infections.