scholarly journals Fungal Airsporal Contamination of Different Hospital Environments in Lagos, Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 861-866
Author(s):  
T.O. Samuel ◽  
Y.A. Kayode ◽  
O.O. Odewunmi
Keyword(s):  
Fungal Spores ◽  
Penicillium Citrinum ◽  
Operating Theatre ◽  
High Morbidity ◽  
Maternity Ward ◽  
Air Samples ◽  
Working Environments ◽  
Hospital Environments ◽  
Airborne Fungal Spores ◽  
Species Being

Hospital infections caused by fungi have been frequently reported in hospitalized patients, with a high morbidity and mortality, making it increasingly important to the awareness of air quality. This study is designed to isolate, identify and investigate the occurrence of airborne fungal spores present in various working environments of some selected hospitals within Lagos State, Nigeria. Air samples at six working area (reception, out-patient, male ward, female ward, maternity ward and operating theatre) of the selected hospitals were obtained on triplicate of Sabouraud dextrose agar plates, every week days for six consecutive weeks. Isolated fungi were subsequently identified using both microscopic and macroscopic characteristics. Seven species of fungi belonging to three genera were recovered during this study period; Aspergillus niger, A. flavus, A. fumigatus, A. species, Candida species, Penicillium citrinum and P. species. The most abundant fungus encountered in this study is A. niger with P. species being the least isolated fungus from all the investigated hospitals. Of the six working areas sampled in the eight hospitals, the reception and out-patient areas appeared to record the highest occurrence of encountered fungi while the examined operating theatre rooms had the least fungal airsporal contaminant. It was gathered from this study that despite the daily cleaning of the investigated hospital working environments with different antiseptic and disinfectants, fungal contaminant was observed throughout the sampled period. We thereby conclude that the hospital environments are continuously monitored in order to identify and eliminate the sources of these fungal spores.

scholarly journals First Speleomycological Study on the Occurrence of Psychrophilic and Psychrotolerant Aeromycota in the Brestovská Cave (Western Tatras Mts., Slovakia) and First Reports for Some Species at Underground Sites

Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 497
Author(s):  
Rafał Ogórek ◽  
Mateusz Speruda ◽  
Justyna Borzęcka ◽  
Agata Piecuch ◽  
Magdalena Cal
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Biological Material ◽  
Fungal Spores ◽  
Airborne Fungi ◽  
Fungal Species ◽  
Air Samples ◽  
Cold Adapted ◽  
First Report

Most underground ecosystems are heterotrophic, fungi in these objects are dispersed in the air in the form of spores, and they may be potentially hazardous to mammals. Research in underground sites has focused on mesophilic airborne fungi and only a few concerned cold-adapted species. Therefore, the goal of our research was the first report of psychrophilic and psychrotolerant aeromycota in the Brestovská Cave using culture-based techniques with genetic and phenotypic identification. Plates with PDA medium containing sampled biological material were incubated at 8 ± 0.5 °C. The density of mycobiota inside the cave ranged from 37.4 to 71 CFU 1 m−3 of air and 63.3 CFU 1 m−3 of air outside the cave. Thus, the level of fungal spores did not exceed the standards for the mycological quality of the air. A total of 18 species were isolated during the study, and some species may be potentially dangerous to people with weakened immune system. All fungal species were present inside the cave and only seven of them were outside. Cladosporium cladosporioides dominated in the external air samples and Mortierella parvispora was cultured most frequently from internal air samples. To our knowledge, this is the first discovery of the fungal species such as Coniothyrium pyrinum, Cystobasidium laryngis, Filobasidium wieringae, Leucosporidium drummii, M. parvispora, Mrakia blollopis, Nakazawaea holstii, and Vishniacozyma victoriae in the air inside the underground sites. Moreover, C. pyrinum, C. laryngis, L. drummii, M. blollopis, and N. holstii have never been detected in any component of the underground ecosystems. There are possible reasons explaining the detection of those species, but global warming is the most likely.

Airborne fungal spores in a sawmill environment in Palakkad District, Kerala, India

Aerobiologia ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Padmanabhan S. Jothish ◽  
Themath Soman Nayar
Keyword(s):  
Fungal Spores ◽  
Airborne Fungal Spores

Airborne fungal spores, pollen grains, and vegetable cells in routine Papanicolaou smears

2004 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 381-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Martínez-Girón ◽  
Andrés Ribas-Barceló ◽  
M Teresa García-Miralles ◽  
Dolores López-Cabanilles ◽  
M Luisa Tamargo-Peláez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fungal Spores ◽  
Pollen Grains ◽  
Airborne Fungal Spores ◽  
Papanicolaou Smears

Greek hospital environments

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 645-652
Author(s):  
Kalliopi Brofidi ◽  
Konstantinos Vlasiadis ◽  
Anastas Philalithis
Keyword(s):  
Care Quality ◽  
Public Hospitals ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Nurse Satisfaction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Settings ◽  
Working Environments ◽  
Hospital Environments ◽  
Greek Hospital ◽  
Medical Wards

Purpose The purpose of this paper is three-fold: first, to assess nurse satisfaction levels with working environment (known as favourability) in five Greek public hospitals using the practice environment scale (PES); second, to compare perceptions among nurses employed in surgical and medical departments; and third, to examine relationships between perceptions and nurse educational level and experience. Design/methodology/approach In total, 532 nurses from five major public hospitals in Greece completed the PES. Descriptive statistics, t-tests and Spearman correlations were employed to analyse the data. Findings Nurses perceived their work settings as unfavourable in all five hospitals, with collegial nurse–physician relations emerging as the only positive factor. Compared to medical wards, surgical departments emerged as slightly more positive working environments. Work department notwithstanding, in some cases, education and experience levels affected their perceptions on management, poor care quality, limited nurse involvement in hospital affairs and nursing shortage. Practical implications Hospital managers do not provide sufficient support for Greek nurses in their working environments. Originality/value The authors attempted to evaluate nursing practice environments in Greek hospitals, viewed from nurse perspectives. The authors identified insufficient support for nurses’ working in these hospitals.

scholarly journals Allergenic fungal spores in the air of urban parks

Aerobiologia ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Idalia Kasprzyk ◽  
Agnieszka Grinn-Gofroń ◽  
Agata Ćwik ◽  
Katarzyna Kluska ◽  
Paloma Cariñanos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fungal Spores ◽  
Urban Parks ◽  
Volumetric Method ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Seasonal Occurrence ◽  
Aerobiological Monitoring ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Airborne Fungal Spores ◽  
Burkard Sampler

Abstract Urban green spaces, especially urban parks, are essential for the proper functioning of cities, but they can be a serious source of airborne fungal spores. Aerobiological monitoring was carried out in urban parks of different typology to estimate the risk associated with fungal spores for citizens. Volumetric method was applied with the use of portable Burkard Sampler. In the air of the studied parks, the most dominant spores are strong allergenic or considered as potentially allergenic. Cladosporium spores were found in enormous concentrations in all studied parks, and it affected the low biodiversity of fungal spores in the parks. Compared to Cladosporium, concentrations of Alternaria spores in the air were several dozen times lower, but still a risk for people who are allergic. The fungal spores spectra and their seasonal occurrence in each park were similar. The highest similarities in the patterns of the season were found in the case of Cladosporium, Alternaria, Epicoccum, and the lowest in the case of Torula and Drechslera type. Due to the fact that allergy sufferers are most often polysensitized, the period when they should limit long visits in the urban parks is July–August, when the concentration of allergenic fungal spores of many taxa is the highest.

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