TY - JOUR
T1 - Aspergillus spp. prevalence in Primary Health Care Centres
T2 - assessment by a novel multi-approach sampling protocol
AU - Viegas, Carla
AU - Almeida, Beatriz
AU - Gomes, Anita Quintal
AU - Carolino, Elisabete
AU - Caetano, Liliana Aranha
PY - 2019/8/1
Y1 - 2019/8/1
N2 - Exposure to Aspergillus conidia may cause adverse effects on human health; however, no specific recommendations for routine assessments of Aspergillus in the clinical environment have been suggested so far. This study intended to determine the prevalence of Aspergillus in the clinical environment, focusing on ten Primary Health Care Centres (PHCC)through a novel multi-approach sampling protocol. Air and passive sampling, culture-based methods and a probe-based real-time assay for the detection of four clinically relevant Aspergillus sections were performed. Aspergillus spp. was observed in all PHCC, with highest prevalence on floor surface swabs (n=81)(18% on MEA; 6.94% on DG18). Regarding air samples (n=81), highest Aspergillus counts were found in the waiting room (94% MEA; 18% DG18), where Nigri was the most prevalent Aspergillus section. The use of a multi-approach sampling protocol to assess Aspergillus burden in the analysed PHCC has greatly contributed to risk characterization, highlighting the need to implement corrective measures in order to avoid fungal presence in those settings.
AB - Exposure to Aspergillus conidia may cause adverse effects on human health; however, no specific recommendations for routine assessments of Aspergillus in the clinical environment have been suggested so far. This study intended to determine the prevalence of Aspergillus in the clinical environment, focusing on ten Primary Health Care Centres (PHCC)through a novel multi-approach sampling protocol. Air and passive sampling, culture-based methods and a probe-based real-time assay for the detection of four clinically relevant Aspergillus sections were performed. Aspergillus spp. was observed in all PHCC, with highest prevalence on floor surface swabs (n=81)(18% on MEA; 6.94% on DG18). Regarding air samples (n=81), highest Aspergillus counts were found in the waiting room (94% MEA; 18% DG18), where Nigri was the most prevalent Aspergillus section. The use of a multi-approach sampling protocol to assess Aspergillus burden in the analysed PHCC has greatly contributed to risk characterization, highlighting the need to implement corrective measures in order to avoid fungal presence in those settings.
KW - Aspergillus
KW - Culture based-methods
KW - Molecular tools
KW - Multi-approach sampling protocol
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85065775804&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.envres.2019.05.015
DO - 10.1016/j.envres.2019.05.015
M3 - Article
C2 - 31121528
AN - SCOPUS:85065775804
VL - 175
SP - 133
EP - 141
JO - Environmental Research
JF - Environmental Research
SN - 0013-9351
ER -