title: Haemophilus influenzae as an airborne contamination in child day care centers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to assess the exposure of children to airborne Haemophilus influenzae in day care centers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Air samples were taken using an Andersen impactor in 32 rooms designed for children stay. The concentrations of airborne bacteria were calculated as colony forming units (CFU) (growing on trypticase soy agar) per cubic meter of air (CFU/m(3)). The compositions of bioaerosol were determined on blood trypticase soy agar and Haemophilus selective agar. Isolated strains were identified using API NH strips and apiweb software. The antibiotic resistance of H influenzae strains was determined by the disk diffusion method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the proposed criteria for microbiologic quality of indoor air, the rooms were characterized by the very high bacterial contamination of the air. The prevailing component of bacterial aerosol was gram-positive cocci. Airborne H influenzae strains were found in 25% of the investigated rooms and were mostly classified as biotype II (33%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It may be accepted that the exposure to airborne H influenzae is typical of child day care centers in contrast to indoor environments with older population. Child day care center contribute to the expansion of H influenzae in human population via air. Generally, airborne H influenzae isolates from the investigated child day care centers were susceptible to older antibiotics such as ampicillin and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biohazards and Immunoallergology, Institute of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, Sosnowiec, Poland. d.lis@imp.sosnowiec.pl
authors.forename: Danuta O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Lis
authors.forename: Rafał L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Górny
mesh_terms: D000391:Air Microbiology; D000397:Air Pollution; D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D002648:Child; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002675:Child, Preschool; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D006192:Haemophilus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006193:Haemophilus influenzae / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests