Investigation of bio-air contamination in some hospitals of Kermanshah, Iran

Abstract

Background: Microorganism transmission is an important route for the outbreak of microbial pathogens in outdoor and indoor environments. Objectives: In this study, we performed air sampling and analysis of various bio-aerosol particles (bacteria and fungi) by a passive method in order to measure the level of contaminant particles. Materials and Methods: Air sampling was done in five hospitals in Iran, which included Imam Ali Hospital (IAH), Taleghani Hospital (TH), Imam Khomeini Hospital (IKH), Farabi Hospital (FH) and Imam Reza Hospital (IRH). In each hospital, units such as surgery, intensive care unit, angiography, emergency, oncology, nursing station, pathology laboratory, microbiological laboratory, operating room, isolation room (infectious section), delivery room and outdoor environment were investigated. Results: The total counts for viable bacteria and fungi in the sampled air from the hospitals were as follows: IAH (bacteria 0–>100 colony-forming unit [CFU]/m3;fungi 0–14 CFU/m3), FH (bacteria 1–18 CFU/m3; fungi 0–7 CFU/m3), IRH (bacteria 0–14 CFU/m3; fungi 4–>100 CFU/m3), TH (bacteria 4–>250 CFU/m3; fungi 0–43 CFU/m3) and IKH (bacteria 11–1766 CFU/m3; fungi 0–25 CFU/m3). Conclusions: Results showed that microbial counts following the air sampling are strongly dependent on the environment. However, a low number of air microorganisms do not mean a clean and healthy environment.

Keywords

• Air contaminant
• bacteria
• fungi
• Iran hospitals
• passive method