A 2‐year survey of the airborne mycoflora in a hospital environment

Abstract

Studies on levels of airborne fungal spores in hospital wards and a diet kitchen were carried out for a period of 24 months using an air sampler. In a preliminary study using Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA), SDA with chloramphenicol, acidified malt extract agar, oxytetracycline glucose yeast extract and Rose‐Bengal chloamphenicol varying levels of fungi were recovered on each of these media. Sabouraud medium, which is used to recover medically important fungi, showed relatively lower fungal counts with an average of 89 cfu m‐3 as compared with counts > 210 cfu m‐3 on all the other media. Fungi accounted for about 68% of the total viable counts and the predominant genera were Aspergillus, Fusarium, Monilia, Penicillium, Rhizopus, Monilia, Candida, Rhodotorula and Pichia. Spore counts were higher in the wards (303 cfu m‐3) than in the diet kitchen (208 cfu m‐3) The aerial fungal spore counts were 51% higher in all the areas sampled during the warmer months than the colder months but there was no major change in the types of fungi except that Chrysonilia species were only isolated between October and March when they accounted for < 5% of the total fungal isolates.