Study of Fungal Contamination Intensive Care Units of Arak Educational Hospitals and Determining Drug Sensitivity Profiles of Isolated Species

• Published in: Majallah-i dānishgāh-i 'ulūm-i pizishkī-i Arāk Vol. 24; no. 3; pp. 348 - 359
• Main Authors: Erfan Rezaei, Mojtaba Didehdar, Seyed Hamed Mirhoseini
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Persian
• Published: Arak Medical University 01-08-2021
• Subjects: airborne fungi; drug resistance; invasive fungal infections
• ISSN: 1735-5338; 2008-644X

Background and Aim: Fungal infections are among the most critical and common issues for hospitalized patients, especially in intensive care units. This study aimed to determine the fungal contamination of indoor air and surfaces in sensitive wards of the Arak University of Medical Sciences educational hospitals and determine the drug susceptibility pattern of isolated species. Methods & Materials: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 63 air samples were taken from sensitive hospital wards using the one-stage Anderson method, and 63 surfaces samples were taken using wet cotton swabs and cultured in saprodextrose agar medium containing chloramphenicol. Identification of the genus and, as far as possible, the species of fungi was performed using the culture method on the slide. Drug susceptibility testing was performed on isolated species by broth microdilution method (CLSI-M38A2 standard).  Ethical Considerations: This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee at Arak University of Medical Sciences (Code: IR.ARAKMU.REC.1395.315). Results: From the total samples, 18 species of fungi were isolated. These included: Aspergillus niger (8), Aspergillus flavus (4), Aspergillus fumigatus (2), Rhizopus spp. (2), Mucor spp. (1) and Fusarium spp. (1). In the drug sensitivity assay, instances of resistance included: Partial sensitivity of Aspergillus fumigatus to Itraconazole (1), Partial sensitivity of Aspergillus niger to Ketoconazole (1), and Resistance of Aspergillus niger to Itraconazole (1). Conclusion: The pattern of nosocomial fungal infection with pathogenic fungi and the drug susceptibility pattern of these organisms in other regions of Iran and the world is relatively consistent with the present study results. And drugs listed in global guidelines for treating these infections, such as voriconazole and caspofungin in the treatment of invasive aspergillosis and amphotericin B in the treatment of invasive mucormycosis and Fusarium wilt, are now effective drugs.