Logo
homeHome
toggle_offCompany ProfilegroupsBoards & Staffsworkspace_premiumMemberships & PartnersschoolAcademy of Journalismperson_addCareerslinkBlog(EN)emailContact Us
list_altOur JournalslightbulbInstruction for AuthorsbookmarkBrieflands PolicieshandshakePublish My Researchplay_circleJournal Management Systemcredit_cardArticle Processing Chargeszoom_inOpen Peer ReviewimagePublishing Services
menu_bookPublish My Book

Jundishapur Journal of Microbiology

Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences

homeHome
play_arrowCurrent IssuelistAll Issuesformat_indent_increaseIn Presscheck_circleAccepted ManuscriptssearchSearch
lightbulbInstructions
infoJournal InformationgroupsEditors & BoardsshareIndexing and Listing Sourcesshow_chartJournal Metricszoom_inOpen Peer Review (OPR)balancePublication Ethics and Malpractice Statementassignment_indReviewer and AE Registration FormemailSupportphoneContact Us
format_list_bulletedAPC
Authors GuideSubmit Manuscript

Outlines

https://doi.org/10.5812/jjm.5074

Diversity and Distribution Patterns of Airborne Microfungi in Indoor and Outdoor Hospital Environments in Khorramabad, Southwest Iran

Author(s):
Asghar SepahvandAsghar SepahvandAsghar Sepahvand ORCID1, Masoomeh Shams-GhahfarokhiMasoomeh Shams-GhahfarokhiMasoomeh Shams-Ghahfarokhi ORCID1,*, Abdolamir AllamehAbdolamir Allameh2, Mehdi Razzaghi-AbyanehMehdi Razzaghi-Abyaneh3
1Department of Medical Mycology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, [email protected], IR Iran
2Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, IR Iran
3Department of Mycology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, IR Iran
Jundishapur Journal of Microbiology:Vol. 6, issue 2; 186-192
Published online:Mar 02, 2013
Article type:Research Article
Received:Apr 11, 2012
Accepted:May 27, 2012
How to Cite:Sepahvand A, Shams-Ghahfarokhi M, Allameh A, Razzaghi-Abyaneh M. Diversity and Distribution Patterns of Airborne Microfungi in Indoor and Outdoor Hospital Environments in Khorramabad, Southwest Iran. Jundishapur J Microbiol. 2013;6(2):. doi: https://doi.org/10.5812/jjm.5074

Abstract

Background:

Nosocomial fungal infections could arise from independent exposure to airborne spores of filamentous fungi existing in the hospital environment.

Objectives:

The present study aimed to determine the mycoflora of indoor and outdoor environments of five major hospitals in Khorramabad, Iran.

Materials and Methods:

Sampling of air was done from indoor and outdoor environments of wards, surroundings and green space of hospitals by settle plate method. To obtain the sample from surfaces, pre-moistened swabs with cotton-tipped sticks were applied on different surfaces (floor, the walls, windows, beds, trolleys, laryngoscope and angiography devices). Culture plates of air and surfaces on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) and Malt Extract Agar (MEA) were incubated in the dark at 28 C and examined daily for fungal colonies for two to three weeks. Fungal isolates were identified by a combination of their macroscopic and microscopic criteria after purification on isolation culture media.

Results:

A total of 707 fungal colonies including, Penicillium (29.14%), Cladosporium (24.04%), Aspergillus (20.65%), Fusarium (9.05%), Alternaria (3.96%), Rhodotorula (1.69%), Cryptococcus neoformans (0.7%) and other fungi (10.77%) were isolated. All the examined high-risk parts of the hospitals were found to be contaminated by various fungi.

Conclusions:

Aspergillus was the most prominent genus in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and surgery, Cladosporium in Critical Care Unit (CCU), emergency and thalassemia, and Penicillium in orthopedic, emergency and neonatal sections. Among pathogenic yeasts, C. neoformans was isolated from ICU, surgery and orthopedic sections. The dimorphic fungal pathogen, Sporothrix schenckii, was reported from CCU. The isolated fungi specially the genera Aspergillus and Penicillium are potential threats for immunocompromised patients in the hospitals.

Keywords
Allergens
Fungi
Aeroallergens
Cladosporium
Penicillium
Hospitals

Full Text

Full text is available in PDF
Import into EndNoteImport into BibTex
Crossmark
Crossmark
Checking
Share on
Comments
Number of Comments:0
Cited by
Metrics
Licensing and reuse information

Ordering Reprints

Articles are published under the Creative Commons license stated on each article. No permission or royalty fee is required for uses permitted by that license. CCC handles optional bulk and customized reprint orders. Any quotation covers production and delivery services only, not copyright permission. > Request Reprints from CCC 

Search Relations

Author(s):

Related Articles

Related Article in PubMed

Related Article in Google Scholar

Create Citation Alert via Google Reader