title: Aspergillus monitoring project in a large educational hospital using molecular assay.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is important to find reliable and accessible methods for the diagnosis and identification of fungal species causing hospital acquired infections. Our main objective was using a rapid and accessible molecular method for the monitoring of Aspergillus infections and identification of causing agents in the level of species.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study subjects were primarily clinical specimens collected from suspected HAI patients with clinical symptoms after hospitalization. Also some environmental specimens were collected from air and instruments of health care facilities for the investigation of Aspergillus sources in a university hospital of UMSU, Urmia. All specimens were transported to Medical Mycology Center for the detection and identification of Aspergillus species using morphological methods. Also molecular method, PCR-RFLP using single restriction enzyme as a rapid and available method was performed to investigate environmental sources of Aspergillus infections.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total of 110 clinical fungal isolates included Candida and Aspergillus species and some other opportunistic fungi. Among the clinical Aspergillus findings, Aspergillus flavus (47%), Aspergillus fumigatus (29.4%) and Aspergillus niger (23.6%) were the most frequent species respectively and also Aspergillus niger (43.7%), Aspergillus flavus (41.8%), Aspergillus fumigatus (14.7%) were isolated as the most frequent species from environmental sources.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Because of accessibility, speed and high sensitivity of diagnosis, the PCR-RFLP was very useful for the identification of medically important Aspergillus species and epidemiological approaches.
authors.affiliation: Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Diba
authors.affiliation: Department of Lung Diseases, Imam educational hospital, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran ( mrahimirad@umsu.ac.ir ).
authors.forename: Mh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rahimirad
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Imam educational hospital, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran ( kmakhdoomi@umsu.ac.ir ).
authors.forename: Kh
authors.initials: Kh
authors.lastname: Makhdoomi
authors.affiliation: Department of foreign languages, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran. ( eslamlufn@gmail.com ).
authors.forename: Nf
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Eslamloo
keywords: Aspergillus; hospital; identification; molecular