DISTRIBUTION PATTERN OF AIRBORNE FUNGI IN INDOOR ENVIRONMENT OF A DISTRICT HOSPITAL OF WEST BENGAL, INDIA

Abstract

ndoor air quality in hospitals is a concern due to presence of airborne microorganisms that may cause nosocomial infections. Airborne fungi in hospitals are considered critical pathogens of hospital-associated infections. Invasive fungal infections acquired in the hospital have progressively emerged as an important cause of life-threatening infection. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the presence of airborne fungal propagules within a hospital. The study was conducted in a district hospital in West Bengal for two consecutive years from January 2014 to December 2015, using Burkard personal one day volumetric Sampler. Sampling was performed indoors at five different wards (two on the ground floor and three on the first floor). Samples were also collected from outside the hospital as a control. Samplers were operated for 10 min. at 10 days interval. Some of the dominant forms encountered were Aspergilli-Penicilli group, Cladosporium sp., Candida sp., which showed significantly high concentration inside hospital, followed by Trichophyton sp., Epicoccum sp., Pleospora sp., Microsporium sp., Curvularia sp. as compared to outside air. The peak period for fungi was observed to be from March-June. Among the five different patients wards there was a significant difference in fungal spore concentration calculated by one way ANOVA. The spore concentration was much lower in hospital units receiving filtered air as compared to control environment, but in naturally ventilated hospitals the concentration was similar to that of outside air.