title: A problem of hospital hygiene: the presence of aspergilli in hospital wards with different air-conditioning features.
abstract: A total of 1,030 microbiological samples were taken in 3 hospital wards with different air-conditioning features: no conditioning system (ward A), a conditioning system equipped with minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) filters (ward B), and a conditioning system thoroughly maintained and equipped with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters (absolute) (ward C). The air in each ward was sampled, and the bacterial and fungal concentrations were determined by active and passive methods. The concentration of fungi on surfaces was also determined. Active sampling showed positive samples in wards A and B only, with average values of 0.50 colony-forming units (CFU)/m(3) (95% CI, 0.30 to 0.70) in A and 0.16 CFU/m(3) (95% CI, 0.13 to 0.20) in B. Passive sampling was positive only in ward A (mean, 0.14 CFU/cm(2)/h; 95% CI, 0.13 to 0.15). Aspergillus was found in 27% and 22% of sampled surfaces in wards A and B, respectively, but in no samples from ward C. The most commonly found species was A. fumigatus (76% of cases in A and 34% of cases in B). The results show that the use of air-conditioning systems markedly reduces the concentration of aspergilli in the environment. Proper maintenance of these systems is clearly fundamental if their efficacy is to be ensured.
authors.affiliation: DISSAL, Sez. Igiene e Medicina Preventiva, Università degli Studi di Genova, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Fernanda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Perdelli
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sartini
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Spagnolo
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dallera
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lombardi
authors.forename: Maria Luisa
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Cristina
mesh_terms: D000389:Air Conditioning; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001230:Aspergillus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006757:Hospital Units
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants