Isolation of pathogenic yeasts in the air from hospital environments in the city of Fortaleza, northeast Brazil

Abstract

This paper reports the results of environmental surveillance of yeasts in specific areas of two tertiary local hospitals. From March 2007 to February 2008, samples from the air of two public hospitals were collected on a monthly basis. The samples were collected through passive sedimentation method (day and night exposure) of Petri dishes. A total of 240 air samples from 10 hospital environments were analyzed. These environments presented similar contamination levels, from which 80 fungi isolates were isolated: Candida parapsilosis (n = 34), Rhodotorula spp. (19), Trichosporon asahii (11), C. tropicalis (8), C. albicans (4), C. glabrata (1), C. guilliermondii (1), C. krusei (1) and Saccharomyces spp. (1). Regarding the presence of yeasts and climatic conditions, there were 40 strains (50%) in semi-critical areas (natural ventilation) and critical areas (air conditioned). Considering the presence of microorganisms with pathogenic potential, environmental monitoring is necessary to prevent possible hospital infections.

Susceptibility testing of Candida albicans by disk diffusion method: A comparison of the culture media used

“…(2) Vários estudos sugerem que a distribuição de fungos no ar, em termos quantitativos e qualitativos, varia entre áreas geográficas, e também é influenciada por fatores ambientais, sazonais e fatores climáticos, tais como temperatura, umidade do ar, hora do dia, velocidade e direção do vento, presença de atividade humana e tipo de ventilação em ambientes fechados. (3) Candida albicans é um fungo dimórfico, que se apresenta sob formas leveduriformes (blastoconídios) no estado saprofítico, estando associado à colonização assintomática, ou como formas filamentosas (pseudo-hifas e hifas verdadeiras), observadas em processos patogênicos. Além disso, sob condições de crescimento subótimas, nesse fungo pode ocorrer a formação de clamidósporos (esporos arredondados que possuem uma espessa parede celular).…”

Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment of Airborne Fungal Spores in the Hospitals Environment of Ahvaz City (2016)

“…Nosocomial infections are one of the problems in recent decades especially in the wards where immunocompromised patients are hospitalized (1,2). Bio-aerosols in the hospital air are one of the potential sources of infection (3).…”

“…and Acremonium spp. (1,3,4). Yeast isolates have also been found that belong to the genus of Candida, Trichosporon, Rhodotorula, Saccharomyces, and Cryptococcus (1,(5)(6)(7).…”

“…There is little information about how they remain suspended in the air (1). The most common fungal infections with life-threatening complications are aspergillosis and mucormycosis (4,8).…”

Candida parapsilosis complex water isolates from a haemodialysis unit: biofilm production and in vitro evaluation of the use of clinical antifungals

“…Based on previous results from our laboratory (Varo et al 2007, Pires-Gonçalves et al 2008, Candida parapsilosis was shown to be the predominant yeast involved in the contamination of water samples collected from a haemodialysis centre. In addition, C. parapsilosis has emerged as a major pathogen in nosocomial candidemia in Brazilian tertiary care hospitals (Medrano et al 2006, Bruder-Nascimento et al 2010, Cordeiro et al 2010, Pereira et al 2010. Recently, the C. parapsilosis complex has been redefined as three distinct species: C. parapsilosis, Candida orthopsilosis and Candida metapsilosis (Tavanti et al 2005); however, the current literature contains very little data pertaining to the distributions and antifungal susceptibilities of these biofilm Candida species.…”