Mycological Investigation of Bottled Water Dispensers in Healthcare Facilities

Abstract

The usage of bottled water dispensers (BWDs) has spread worldwide. Despite their popularity, few studies have dealt with their microbial contaminants, and little attention is given to their fungal contamination. To our knowledge this is the first mycological study of BWDs in Europe. 36 devices have been examined in Budapest, Hungary. Despite of the strictly regulated water hygiene system in Hungary, molds and yeasts were detected in 86.8% of the samples, 56.76% were highly contaminated. Elevated heterotrophic plate counts were also observed in all samples compared to that of Hungarian drinking water. As all physical and chemical water quality characteristics have met the relevant national and European parametric values and neither totally explained the results of microbial counts, the effect of usage and maintenance habits of the devices were examined. Fungal concentrations were affected by the time elapsed since disinfection, days remaining until expiration of bottles, month of sampling and exposure to sunlight during storage. Microbes are able to proliferate in the bottled water and disperse inside the BWDs. Many of the detected fungal species (Sarocladium kiliense, Acremonium sclerotigenum/egyptiacum, Exophiala jeanselmei var. lecanii-corni, Exophiala equina, Meyerozyma guilliermondii, Cystobasidium slooffiae, Aspergillus jensenii, Bisifusarium biseptatum) are opportunistic pathogens for subpopulations of sensitive age groups and patients with immunodeficient conditions, including cystic fibrosis. Thus BWDs may pose a health risk to visitors of healthcare institutions, especially to patients with oral lesions in dental surgeries. The study draws attention to the need to investigate microbial contamination of these devices in other countries as well.

Indoor Air Contamination by Yeasts in Healthcare Facilities: Risks of Invasive Fungal Infection

“…Bottled mineral water from dispensers and tap water has been reported as an essential source of pathogenic microorganisms, including Candida species detected in our study [37]. Also, Tischner et al [38] carried out a mycological investigation of bottled water dispensers in healthcare facilities and verified contamination by filamentous fungi and yeasts with pathogenic potential. Therefore, we speculate that yeasts reported in our study may have been aerosolized mainly from patients' or healthcare professionals' skin and oral cavities.…”

Functional immune boosters; the herb or its dead microbiome? Antigenic TLR4 agonist MAMPs found in 65 medicinal roots and algae’s

“…Food based MOC debris is by no means ubiquitous in concentration or taxonomy, and it is ever present in all processed foods, beverages, and even bottled drinking water (tap, bottled, mineral, and natural water), to exception of that treated by reverse osmosis. ( Tischner et al, 2021 ; Vasudevan et al, 2021 ; Zhou et al, 2021 ). Given that our entire diet from the natural world involves ingestion of MOCS ( Irshad et al, 2022 ; Jiang et al, 2021 ; Soto-Giron et al, 2021 ) some which are intentionally added (generally recognized as safe (GRAS)) for fermentation ( Chen et al, 2019 ; Tang et al, 2021 ; Voidarou et al, 2020 ; Wang et al, 2017 ; Yan et al, 2022 ) there is a pressing need to assess, these bioactive entities in herbs and spices (in particular) for impact on human immune function ( F et al, 2022 ; Neuzil-Bunesova et al, 2022 ; Ssepuuya et al, 2019 ).…”