Fungus microbiota in air conditioners in intensive care units in Teresina, Piauí
01 Nov 2006-Revista Da Sociedade Brasileira De Medicina Tropical (Rev Soc Bras Med Trop)-Vol. 39, Iss: 6, pp 556-559
TL;DR: It is important to provide individual protection equipment for professionals, adopt hospital infection control measures, raise the awareness of the presence of fungus infection, improve air circulation around the environment, periodically clean the air conditioners, and make health professionals alert to the importance of these fungi in the hospital environment.
Abstract: With the aim of identifying the fungus microbiota in air conditioners in intensive care units (ICUs) within public and private hospitals in Teresina, Piaui, solid material was collected from ten different ICUs. Thirty-three species of Moniliaceae and Dematiaceae were isolated, which was the first report of these in Piaui. High frequencies of Aspergillus niger Van Tieghem (60%), Aspergillus fumigatus Fres (50%), Trichoderma koningii Oudem (50%) and Aspergillus flavus Link: Fr. (40%) were recorded. The air conditioner cleanliness validity had expired in all the ICUs, and the quantity of colony-forming units exceeded the levels permitted by Law 176/00 from the Ministry of Health. It is important to provide individual protection equipment for professionals, adopt hospital infection control measures, raise the awareness of the presence of fungus infection, improve air circulation around the environment, periodically clean the air conditioners, and make health professionals alert to the importance of these fungi in the hospital environment.
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01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: This chapter attempts to summarize the recently available and rapidly increasing amount of information in the literature about the occurrence and biodiversity of Trichoderma species in different ecological habitats.
Abstract: This chapter attempts to summarize the recently available and rapidly increasing amount of information in the literature about the occurrence and biodiversity of Trichoderma species in different ecological habitats. Members of the genus are common in soil and rhizosphere of plants in natural and agricultural fields and forests and on decaying wood. They are also occurring in the air, settled dust and different water-related habitats including marine environments and drinking water. Furthermore, certain species are known as endophytes of plants, colonizers of mushroom-related natural and artificial substrata and facultative pathogens of humans, demonstrating a high adaptability to various ecological niches.
58 citations
TL;DR: Knowing the species-complex epidemiology for each setting, as well as the identification of cryptic species among the collected clinical isolates, is important to allow preventive and corrective measures to be taken, which may result in decreased exposure to those organisms and a better prognosis.
Abstract: Clinical and environmental samples from Portugal were screened for the presence of Aspergillus and the distributions of the species complexes were determined in order to understand how their distributions differ based on their source. Fifty-seven Aspergillus isolates from clinical samples were collected from 10 health institutions. Six species complexes were detected by internal transcribed spacer sequencing; Fumigati, Flavi ,a nd Nigri were found most frequently (50.9%, 21.0%, and 15.8%, respectively). β-tubulin and calmodulin sequencing resulted in seven cryptic species (A. awamorii, A. brasiliensis, A. fructus, A. lentulus, A. sydowii, A. tubingensis, Emericella echinulata) being identified among the 57 isolates. Thirty-nine isolates of Aspergillus were recovered from beach sand and poultry farms, 31 from swine farms, and 80 from hospital environments, for a total 189 isolates. Eleven species complexes were found in these 189 isolates, and those belonging to the Versicolores species complex were found most frequently (23.8%). There was a significant association between the different environmental sources and distribution of the species complexes; the hospital environment had greater variability of species complexes than other environmental locations. A high prevalence of cryptic species within the Circumdati complex was detected in several environments; from the isolates analyzed, at least four cryptic species were identified, most of them growing at 37 o C. Because Aspergillus species complexes have different susceptibilities to antifungals, knowing the species-complex epidemiology for each setting, as well as the identification of cryptic species among the collected clinical isolates, is important. This
54 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors evaluated the air quality in three indoor hospital environments: a neonatal intensive care unit (ICU), an adult ICU and a surgical ward of a hospital in Florianopolis, Brazil.
Abstract: The objective of this paper was to evaluate the air quality in three indoor hospital environments: a neonatal intensive care unit (ICU), an adult ICU and a surgical ward of a hospital in Florianopolis, Brazil. Carbon dioxide concentrations, exchange air flow rates as well as fungi and bacteria concentrations were measured in these rooms. Bioaerosol concentrations were evaluated throughout one-work day for each operating room. No relationship was observed between bioaerosol concentration and the period of use in the surgical ward. Average bioaerosol concentrations were of 231 UFC.m-3 for filamentous fungi and 187 UFC.m-3 for bacteria. All environments evaluated were, overall, in compliance with current legislations. Results allowed a critical review of the present regulations and suggestions for the establishment of a specific regulation for hospital environments in Brazil.
32 citations
TL;DR: Evaluation of fungal microbiota in the air-conditioning units indirectly determined that the air quality was compromised in both university hospitals analyzed, which constitutes a risk factor for the acquisition of infection in the intensive care units.
Abstract: To evaluate fungal microbiota in air-conditioning units installed in intensive care units in two university hospitals in Cuiaba city, Mato Grosso, central western region of Brazil, 525 solid environmental samples were collected, 285 from Hospital A and 240 from Hospital B. Collections were performed using sterile swabs on air-conditioning unit components: cooling coils, ventilators, and filters. Mycelial fungi identification was achieved by observation of the macroscopic and micromorphological characteristics in different culture mediums (maize meal, oatmeal and potato dextrose agars and malt extract) using the Ridell technique. Eleven genera and 27 distinct species belonging to the hyphomycetes and ascomycetes classes were isolated and identified. The most frequently detected genera in both hospitals were Aspergillus spp, Penicillium spp, and Cladosporium spp. Values for colony-forming units per gram were 64 and 75%, well above the limits recommended by Health Ministry resolution 176/00 at the locations selected for analysis in Hospitals A and B, respectively. In conclusion, evaluation of fungal microbiota in the air-conditioning units indirectly determined that the air quality was compromised in both university hospitals analyzed, which constitutes a risk factor for the acquisition of infection in the intensive care units.
19 citations
Cites background or result from "Fungus microbiota in air conditione..."
...The findings reported by Mobin and Salmito [28] and Diniz et al. [17]. showed similarities with respect to the isolation of filamentous fungi (Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., Cladosporium spp., Curvularia spp., Rhodotorula spp., and Paecylomyces spp.) and those isolated in this study....
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...Regarding mycelial fungi, samples belonging to the genus Penicillium (P. expansum, P. chrysogenum, P. griseofulvum, and P. spinulosum) were isolated in this study, in contrast to the six species detected by Mobin and Salmito (2006): P. citrinum, P. decumbens, P. fellutarum, P. oxalicum, P. piceum, and P. purpurogenum....
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...Considering that the methodology used by Mobin and Salmito was identical to that used in our work and the location has similar average regional temperatures, it was possible to compare results between the two Brazilian regions, northeastern and midwestern, respectively....
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...In the northeastern region of Brazil, a study by Mobin and Salmito [28] was key to understanding the...
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...Analysis of four ICUs (two neonatal and two adult) in the current study resulted in the detection of fungi belonging to the genus Aspergillus (A. niger, A. paradoxus, A. parasiticus, and A. terreus) among the most frequent isolates, confirming some species in common with those detected by Mobin and Salmito in 2006 and others specific to these units....
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01 Jan 1979
18 citations
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01 Jan 1979
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