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What's New in Prevention of Invasive Fungal Diseases during Hospital Construction and Renovation Work: An Overview. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:jof9020151. [PMID: 36836266 PMCID: PMC9966904 DOI: 10.3390/jof9020151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The goal of the overview was to give insight into the recent data of invasive fungal diseases (IFDs) associated with construction and renovation in healthcare settings as well as the recent evidence about available prevention and infection control measures. The number of studies describing IFD outbreaks associated with construction or renovation is on the rise again. Applying adequate prevention measures is still a challenge not just for healthcare workers but also for architects and construction workers as well. The role of multidisciplinary teams in the planning and monitoring of prevention measures cannot be overemphasized. Dust control is an inevitable part of every prevention plan. HEPA filters are helpful in the prevention of fungal outbreaks in hematologic patients, but further studies are needed to clarify the extent in which they contribute as specific control measures. The cut-off value for a "threating" level of fungal spore contamination still remains to be defined. The value of antifungal prophylaxis is difficult to assess because other preventive measures are simultaneously applied. Recommendations are still based on few meta-analyses, a large number of descriptive reports, and the opinion of respective authorities. Outbreak reports in the literature are a valuable resource and should be used for education as well as for preparing outbreak investigations.
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Niculita-Hirzel H, Wild P, Hirzel AH. Season, Vegetation Proximity and Building Age Shape the Indoor Fungal Communities' Composition at City-Scale. J Fungi (Basel) 2022; 8:1045. [PMID: 36294610 PMCID: PMC9605656 DOI: 10.3390/jof8101045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Exposure to particular microbiome compositions in the built environment can affect human health and well-being. Identifying the drivers of these indoor microbial assemblages is key to controlling the microbiota of the built environment. In the present study, we used culture and metabarcoding of the fungal Internal Transcribed Spacer ribosomal RNA region to assess whether small-scale variation in the built environment influences the diversity, composition and structure of indoor air fungal communities between a heating and an unheated season. Passive dust collectors were used to collect airborne fungi from 259 dwellings representative of three major building periods and five building environments in one city-Lausanne (Vaud, Switzerland)-over a heating and an unheated period. A homogenous population (one or two people with an average age of 75 years) inhabited the households. Geographic information systems were used to assess detailed site characteristics (altitude, proximity to forest, fields and parks, proximity to the lake, and density of buildings and roads) for each building. Our analysis indicated that season was the factor that explained most of the variation in colonies forming unit (CFU) concentration and indoor mycobiome composition, followed by the period of building construction. Fungal assemblages were more diverse during the heating season than during the unheated season. Buildings with effective insulation had distinct mycobiome compositions from those built before 1975 - regardless of whether they were constructed with pre-1945 technology and materials or 1945 - 1974 ones. The urban landscape-as a whole-was a significant predictor of cultivable Penicillium load-the closer the building was to the lake, the higher the Penicillium load-but not of fungal community composition. Nevertheless, the relative abundance of eleven fungal taxa detected by metabarcoding decreased significantly with the urbanization gradient. When urban landscape descriptors were analyzed separately, the explanatory power of proximity to vegetation in shaping fungal assemblages become significant, indicating that land cover type had an influence on fungal community structure that was obscured by the effects of building age and sampling season. In conclusion, indoor mycobiomes are strongly modulated by season, and their assemblages are shaped by the effectiveness of building insulation, but are weakly influenced by the urban landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hélène Niculita-Hirzel
- Department Work, Health & Environment, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Route de la Corniche 2, CH-1066 Epalinges-Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Pascal Wild
- Department Work, Health & Environment, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Route de la Corniche 2, CH-1066 Epalinges-Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alexandre H. Hirzel
- Computer Science Center, Amphimax Building, Quartier Sorge, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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Madsen AM, Rasmussen PU, Frederiksen MW. Accumulation of microorganisms on work clothes of workers collecting different types of waste - A feasibility study. WASTE MANAGEMENT (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2022; 139:250-257. [PMID: 34979353 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2021.12.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2021] [Revised: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Electrostatic dust cloths have previously been used to study microorganisms in settled dust by placing the cloths horizontally on surfaces (called Electrostatic Dust Collectors, EDC). In this study, we investigate whether the same cloths, henceforth called 'E-Cloths', can be used to study accumulation of microorganisms and endotoxin on workers' clothes. This was studied as current methods have limitations. It was examined for waste collection workers, as their work environment is associated with elevated exposure to microorganisms and endotoxin. Each worker received a kit with a T-shirt with an attached E-Cloth on the front, a instruction letter, and a questionnaire. Workers wore the T-shirts during the next two workdays. Unaffected by waste type collected, it was possible to measure the accumulation of bacteria, fungi, and endotoxin from the work environment on the E-Cloths. Geometric mean concentration of 9 × 106 CFU bacteria/m2, 1 × 107 CFU fungi/m2, and 4 × 104 endotoxin units/m2 were found. In total, 100 different bacterial and 25 fungal species were found. The genus Bacillus (with 18 species) and Brevibacterium aurantiacum were among the dominating bacteria. For fungi, Penicillium brevicompactum, P. commune, Penicillium italicum, and Aspergillus niger were most often found. Importantly, mainly environmental bacteria and fungi had accumulated on the E-Cloths and only few skin-related bacterial species were present, showing that accumulation had happened from the work exposure and not workers' skin. In conclusion, the T-shirts with an E-Cloth can be used as a self-administered method for measurement of accumulation of microorganisms and endotoxin from the work environment on waste collection workers' clothes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Mette Madsen
- The National Research Centre for the Working Environment Lersø Parkallé 105, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark.
| | - Pil Uthaug Rasmussen
- The National Research Centre for the Working Environment Lersø Parkallé 105, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
| | - Margit W Frederiksen
- The National Research Centre for the Working Environment Lersø Parkallé 105, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
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Fakunle AG, Olusola B, Jafta N, Faneye A, Heederik D, Smit LA, Naidoo RN. Home Assessment of Indoor Microbiome (HAIM) in Relation to Lower Respiratory Tract Infections among Under-Five Children in Ibadan, Nigeria: The Study Protocol. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17061857. [PMID: 32183028 PMCID: PMC7143126 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17061857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The association between household air pollution and lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) among children under five years of age has been well documented; however, the extent to which the microbiome within the indoor environment contributes to this association is uncertain. The home assessment of indoor microbiome (HAIM) study seeks to assess the abundance of indoor microbiota (IM) in the homes of under-five children (U-5Cs) with and without LRTI. HAIM is a hospital- and community-based study involving 200 cases and 200 controls recruited from three children’s hospitals in Ibadan, Nigeria. Cases will be hospital-based patients with LRTI confirmed by a pediatrician, while controls will be community-based participants, matched to cases on the basis of sex, geographical location, and age (±3 months) without LRTI. The abundance of IM in houses of cases and controls will be investigated using active and passive air sampling techniques and analyzed by qualitative detection of bacterial 16SrRNA gene (V3–V4), fungal ITS1 region, and viral RNA sequencing. HAIM is expected to elucidate the relationship between exposure to IM and incidence of LRTI among U-5Cs and ultimately provide evidence base for strategic interventions to curtail the burgeoning burden of LRTI on the subcontinent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adekunle G. Fakunle
- Discipline of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, 321 George Campbell Building Howard College Campus, Durban 4041, South Africa;
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Faculty of Public Health, University of Ibadan, Ibadan 200212, Nigeria
- Correspondence: (A.G.F.); (R.N.N.); Tel.: +234-90-9395-6165 (A.G.F.); +27-824-379-333 (R.N.N.)
| | - Babatunde Olusola
- Department of Virology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan 200212, Nigeria; (B.O.); (A.F.)
| | - Nkosana Jafta
- Discipline of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, 321 George Campbell Building Howard College Campus, Durban 4041, South Africa;
| | - Adedayo Faneye
- Department of Virology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan 200212, Nigeria; (B.O.); (A.F.)
| | - Dick Heederik
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Environmental Epidemiology Division (IRAS-EEPI), Utrecht University, 80177 Utrecht, The Netherlands; (D.H.)
| | - Lidwien A.M. Smit
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Environmental Epidemiology Division (IRAS-EEPI), Utrecht University, 80177 Utrecht, The Netherlands; (D.H.)
| | - Rajen N. Naidoo
- Discipline of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, 321 George Campbell Building Howard College Campus, Durban 4041, South Africa;
- Correspondence: (A.G.F.); (R.N.N.); Tel.: +234-90-9395-6165 (A.G.F.); +27-824-379-333 (R.N.N.)
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Lee JH, Kim JY, Cho BB, Anusha JR, Sim JY, Raj CJ, Yu KH. Assessment of air purifier on efficient removal of airborne bacteria, Staphylococcus epidermidis, using single-chamber method. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2019; 191:720. [PMID: 31691038 PMCID: PMC7087645 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-019-7876-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2019] [Accepted: 10/10/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
We evaluated the efficiency of an air purifier using the single-chamber method for the effective removal of airborne Staphylococcus epidermidis, a nosocomial infection-causing bacterium. In this experiment, the bacterial strain S. epidermidis was injected using a nebulizer into the test chamber, which was similar to a consumer living space (60 m3). The microbial sampling was conducted via the air sampler method, and the reduction in S. epidermidis growth was monitored by performing three consecutive tests. Initially, a blank test was conducted to determine the natural decay rate and calibrate the experimental setup. After injecting the bacterial strain from 1240 to 11180 CFU per unit volume (m3), the natural decay rate showed a maximum deviation of 3.1% with a sampling error of 1.1% p at a confidence level of 95%. In addition, the particle size distribution in the test chamber was found to range from 0.3 to 5.0 μm, and a subsequent decrease in large-sized particles was observed with the operation of the air purifier, which is the size similar to that of suspended airborne bacteria. This can be used to assess the performance of the air purifier by calibrating the natural reduction value to the reduced operation value. Thus, the single-chamber technique is a promising approach for analyzing the removal efficacy of airborne bacteria from indoor air.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jung Hoon Lee
- Environmental Convergence Technology Center, Korea Testing Laboratory, 87(Guro-dong), Digital-ro 26-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul, 08389, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong Yup Kim
- Department of Chemistry, Dongguk University, 26, 3Pil-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, 04620, Republic of Korea
| | - Bo-Bae Cho
- Materials Department, Biot Korea Inc., 43-26, Cheomdangwagi-ro, 208 beon-gil, Buk-gu, Gwangju, Republic of Korea
| | - J R Anusha
- Department of Chemistry, Dongguk University, 26, 3Pil-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, 04620, Republic of Korea
- Department of Advanced Zoology and Biotechnology, Loyola College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600034, India
| | - Ju Yong Sim
- Department of Chemistry, Dongguk University, 26, 3Pil-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, 04620, Republic of Korea
| | - C Justin Raj
- Department of Chemistry, Dongguk University, 26, 3Pil-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, 04620, Republic of Korea
| | - Kook-Hyun Yu
- Department of Chemistry, Dongguk University, 26, 3Pil-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, 04620, Republic of Korea.
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Lemaire B, Normand AC, Forel JM, Cassir N, Piarroux R, Ranque S. Hospitalized Patient as Source of Aspergillus fumigatus, 2015. Emerg Infect Dis 2019; 24:1524-1527. [PMID: 30014836 PMCID: PMC6056103 DOI: 10.3201/eid2408.171865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Hospital-acquired aspergillosis is usually associated with environmental contamination. In 2015, continuous monitoring of airborne fungi and multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis identified the source of Aspergillus fumigatus as the airway of a patient. Therefore, patients colonized with Aspergillus spp. should be treated in airborne infection isolation rooms.
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Electrostatic Dust Cloth: A Passive Screening Method to Assess Occupational Exposure to Organic Dust in Bakeries. ATMOSPHERE 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos9020064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Lakkireddy K, Kües U. Bulk isolation of basidiospores from wild mushrooms by electrostatic attraction with low risk of microbial contaminations. AMB Express 2017; 7:28. [PMID: 28124290 PMCID: PMC5267591 DOI: 10.1186/s13568-017-0326-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2016] [Accepted: 01/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The basidiospores of most Agaricomycetes are ballistospores. They are propelled off from their basidia at maturity when Buller's drop develops at high humidity at the hilar spore appendix and fuses with a liquid film formed on the adaxial side of the spore. Spores are catapulted into the free air space between hymenia and fall then out of the mushroom's cap by gravity. Here we show for 66 different species that ballistospores from mushrooms can be attracted against gravity to electrostatic charged plastic surfaces. Charges on basidiospores can influence this effect. We used this feature to selectively collect basidiospores in sterile plastic Petri-dish lids from mushrooms which were positioned upside-down onto wet paper tissues for spore release into the air. Bulks of 104 to >107 spores were obtained overnight in the plastic lids above the reversed fruiting bodies, between 104 and 106 spores already after 2-4 h incubation. In plating tests on agar medium, we rarely observed in the harvested spore solutions contaminations by other fungi (mostly none to up to in 10% of samples in different test series) and infrequently by bacteria (in between 0 and 22% of samples of test series) which could mostly be suppressed by bactericides. We thus show that it is possible to obtain clean basidiospore samples from wild mushrooms. The technique of spore collection through electrostatic attraction in plastic lids is applicable to fresh lamellate and poroid fruiting bodies from the wild, to short-lived deliquescent mushrooms, to older and dehydrating fleshy fruiting bodies, even to animal-infested mushrooms and also to dry specimens of long-lasting tough species such as Schizophyllum commune.
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Fréalle E, Bex V, Reboux G, Roussel S, Bretagne S. Méthodes d’identification et de quantification des moisissures de l’habitat : méthodes classiques, méthodes moléculaires. Rev Mal Respir 2017; 34:1124-1137. [DOI: 10.1016/j.rmr.2017.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2016] [Accepted: 01/09/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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Sander I, Lotz A, Zahradnik E, Raulf M. Allergen Quantification by Use of Electrostatic Dust Collectors (EDCs): Influence of Deployment Time, Extraction Buffer, and Storage Conditions on the Results. ANNALS OF OCCUPATIONAL HYGIENE 2016; 60:845-59. [DOI: 10.1093/annhyg/mew027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2016] [Accepted: 05/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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