Profiles of Environmental Mold

Indoor and Outdoor Air Sampling in a Hematology Hospital in Seoul, South Korea

Bibliographic Data

ID15470676
AuthorsSung‐Yeon Cho (0000-0001-5392-3405, The Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary's Hospital), Jun‐Pyo Myong (0000-0001-8674-1034, The Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, corresponding author), Won-Bok Kim (0000-0002-9111-0365, Catholic University of Korea), Chulmin Park (0000-0001-9147-0478, Catholic University of Korea), Sae-Mi Lee (0000-0003-1316-0559, The Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary's Hospital), Sung Jeon Lee (Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, Seoul 06591, Korea), Sang Hyeon Lee (0000-0002-1377-3913, Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, Seoul 06591, Korea), Sang-Hyeon Lee (0000-0003-1610-9994, The Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary's Hospital), Dong‐Gun Lee (0000-0003-4655-0641, The Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary's Hospital), Dong-Gun Lee (Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 16591, Korea)
Year2018
Volume15
Issue11
Pages2560-2560
Publication date2018-11-15
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601
PublisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/ijerph15112560
PMID30445685
OpenAlexW2901962159
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited18

Inhalation of fungal spores can cause various spectrums of fungal diseases in immunocompromised hosts. The aim of this study was to evaluate the concentrations and profiles of fungal species in air collected at different locations in hematology wards and outside of the hospital in Seoul St. Mary's Hospital over the course of a year. Air sampling was performed at four locations-outside the hospital (O), in the general ward (GW), in the lounge in the cleanroom (CR L ), and in the patients' room in the cleanroom (CR R )-by using Andersen single-stage air sampler at every two weeks between May 2017 and May 2018. The results showed higher mean fungal density in summer, and the concentrations of fungi decreased as follows: O (954.8 colony-forming units, CFU/m3) > GW (4.2 CFU/m3) > CR L (0.7 CFU/m3) > CR R (0 CFU/m3). Aspergillus was most prevalent both inside (47%) and outside (62%) of the hospital. However, the outdoor fungal profile was more diverse than the indoor profile. Within the hospital, Penicillium was the second most dominant species. In conclusion, the outdoor fungal profile is diverse even in Seoul, a highly urbanized area in Korea. The distribution of indoor air fungi is significantly different from outdoor due to air quality systems. Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), as well as high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA)-filtered systems should be established to effectively reduce levels of indoor fungi

Aerosol · Air conditioning · Air quality index · Bioaerosol · Biology · Cladosporium · Cleanroom · Geography · HEPA · HVAC · Indoor air · Indoor air quality · Meteorology · Penicillium · Ventilation (architecture · Veterinary medicine · Antifungal resistance and susceptibility · Environmental Science · Indoor Air Quality and Microbial Exposure · Insects and Parasite Interactions · Medicine · Ecology · Environmental Engineering · Food Science · Toxicology

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