Fungal Assessment of Indoor Air Quality in Wards and Operating Theatres in an Organ Transplantation Hospital

Abstract

Background: Fungi are ubiquitous in indoor environments and are responsible for a wide range of infections in immunocompromised patients. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the type and amount of fungal contamination in an organ transplantation hospital in Mashhad. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 96 samples were taken from three operating theatres, hemodialysis wards for women and men, kidney and liver transplant wards, and intensive care unit (ICU) of an organ transplant hospital of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. Air samples were taken according to the NIOSH standard instructions and Anderson procedure with a flow rate of 28.3 L per two minutes on sabarose dextrose agar media. Results: Among the five wards, liver transplantation was the least contaminated of fungal concentration in indoor air (5.53 ± 4.08 CFU/m3). Indoor fungal were observed, women’s hemodialysis (9.01 ± 5.57 CFU/m3), kidney transplantation (9.70 ± 5.99 CFU/m3), ICU (11.09 ± 4.12 CFU/m3), and men’s hemodialysis (11.78 ± 8.31 CFU/m3), respectively. The most important fungal contaminations in operating theatres respectively was related to Aspergillus and Penicillium. Conclusions: The mean of fungal contamination in operating theatres and wards was compared with the European union good manufacturing practices guideline (EU GMP). Concentration of fungal in the hospital was in class B (clean state). However, due to the high sensitivity of transplantation recipients and immunocompromised patients to nosocomial fungal infections, the periodic surveys of the hospitals, environmental controls, and using an efficient ventilation system are necessary.