Indoor airborne fungal pollution in newborn units in Turkey

• Published in: Environmental monitoring and assessment 2017-07, Vol.189 (7), p.362, Article 362
• Main Authors: Demirel, Rasime, Sen, Burhan, Kadaifciler, Duygu, Yoltas, Aysegul, Okten, Suzan, Ozkale, Evrim, Berikten, Derya, Samson, Robert A., Haliki Uztan, Alev, Yilmaz, Neriman, Abaci Gunyar, Ozlem, Aydogdu, Halide, Asan, Ahmet, Kivanc, Merih, Ozdil, Soner, Sakartepe, Erhan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agar; Air Microbiology; Air pollution; Air Pollution, Indoor - statistics & numerical data; Air sampling; Airborne microorganisms; Aniline Compounds; Animals; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Colonies; Contamination; Cross Infection; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Management; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental science; Fungi; Gene sequencing; Glycerol; Health risk assessment; Health risks; Hospitals; Humans; Immune system; Immunocompromised hosts; Indoor air quality; Indoor environments; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Infants; Isolation media; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Nosocomial infection; Nosocomial infections; Nurseries, Hospital - statistics & numerical data; Patients; Penicillium; Spores, Fungal; Turkey
• ISSN: 0167-6369; 1573-2959
• DOI: 10.1007/s10661-017-6051-y

Pathogenic and/or opportunistic fungal species are major causes of nosocomial infections, especially in controlled environments where immunocompromised patients are hospitalized. Indoor fungal contamination in hospital air is associated with a wide range of adverse health effects. Regular determination of fungal spore counts in controlled hospital environments may help reduce the risk of fungal infections. Because infants have inchoate immune systems, they are given immunocompromised patient status. The aim of the present study was to evaluate culturable airborne fungi in the air of hospital newborn units in the Thrace, Marmara, Aegean, and Central Anatolia regions of Turkey. A total of 108 air samples were collected seasonally from newborn units in July 2012, October 2012, January 2013, and April 2013 by using an air sampler and dichloran 18% glycerol agar (DG18) as isolation media. We obtained 2593 fungal colonies comprising 370 fungal isolates representing 109 species of 28 genera, which were identified through multi-loci gene sequencing. Penicillium , Aspergillus , Cladosporium , Talaromyces , and Alternaria were the most abundant genera identified (35.14, 25.40, 17.57, 2.70, and 6.22% of the total, respectively).