Assessment of Air Quality Containing Fungi in Al-Nu'man Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Background: Fungi are widespread in indoor environments and contribute to various diseases in patients with compromised immune systems. Objective: This study aims to assess air quality containing fungi in the indoor environments of Al-Nu'man Teaching Hospital. Materials and Methods: The study involved 210 environmental samples collected from various selected parts of the hospital. The samples were carried out on a monthly basis by open plate technique, and then the cultures were examined and evaluated according to morphological and microscopic examination criteria. Results: The results showed that the percentage of fungal contamination was 140/210 (66.66%). The highest fungal contamination was recorded in hospital wards 27 (90%), followed by emergency unit 20 (76.92%), burn unit 16 (72.72%), operating theaters 14 (70%), neonatal unit 13 (65%), dialysis unit 12 (63.15%), obstetrics theaters 10 (58.82%), coronary care unit 9 (56.25%), respiratory care unit 8 (53.33%), hospital kitchen 6 (46.15%), and the lowest contamination was in endoscopy unit 5 (41.66%).  Moreover, a total of 137 fungal isolates were obtained, with the highest occurrence and frequency percentages of fungi recorded for Penicillium spp. reaching 13.13% and 8.57%, respectively, followed by Aspergillus niger reaching 10.21% and 6.66%, respectively, and the lowest occurrence and frequency percentages recorded for Curvularia spp. reaching 0.72% and 0.47%, respectively. Conclusion: These results demonstrated that all wards and units were heavily contaminated with different types of fungi. Hence, it is essential to take urgent steps to enhance indoor air quality to prevent possible hospital infections.