Airborne mycobiota determined in the neonatal unit of the Ege University Hospital, Bornova, Turkey

Pathogenic or opportunist fungi in hospital environments may be a source of infection in susceptible hosts. Especially for newborn intensive care units of hospitals, the control of the fungal spore and knowing the incidence of mycobiota in hospitals are of great importance in order to understand the types of infections and the problems caused by them. In this study, the level of endogenous airborne fungal concentrations and the types of fungi were determined at Ege University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Neonatal Unit, which is located centre of Izmir. For this purpose, air samples were collected at 14 selected stations monthly during twelve months with the Merck MAS 100 air sampler. As a result, a total of 2631 fungal colonies were counted. Sixty two fungal species belonging to 12 genera were identified. These species consisted of Aspergillus (12), Penicillium (24), Cladosporium (10), Alternaria (6) and other species (10). The 6 microfungi were identified only in genus level. The most prevalent genera were the common moulds; Aspergillus (39.33±61.43), Penicillium (23.00±23.50), Cladosporium (74.33±63.43) and Alternaria (20.17±25.09). In this study, aimed to emphasize the importance of monitoring the presence of airborne fungal biota, particularly Aspergillus spp. in the newborn intensive care units where newborns and especially premature babies were hospitalized and opportunistic pathogenic species such as A.flavus, A. fumigatus, A. niger and A. terreus were isolated. © by PSP

Isolation and identification of entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria Bassiana from Turkey

The control of the agricultural pests is crucial for commercial products. There is a growing interest for biological control of these pests and one of the most effective and safe biocontrol agents is Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo-Crivelli) Vuillemin, which is an entomopathogenic fungus. The soil environment is a significant resource for entomopathogenic fungi. In this study the diversity and distribution of entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (Bals.-Criv.) Vuill. was assessed throughout an extensive soil survey in Turkey carried out during 2013 and 2014. Soil samples from the seven regions of Turkey were taken and Beauveria spp. isolates were obtained from six of these regions, with 32 positive sites out of 150 sites sampled. The isolates were identified as Beauveria bassiana based on phenotypic and molecular data. Beauveria bassiana was isolated from the European (Marmara) as well as the Asiatic peninsula (Anatolia) of Turkey

Airborne microfungus flora determined in the different units of the department of Tulay Aktas Oncology Hospital, Ege University

Recently, there has been a dramatic increase in the prevalence of nosocomial fungal infections. Especially with the increase in the number of immunosuppressed patients, rare fungal pathogens which were difficult to detect in the past are now frequently isolated. In this study, the level of endogenous airborne fungal concentrations and the types of fungi were determined at Ege University, Faculty of Medicine, Tulay Aktas Oncology Hospital. For this purpose, air samples were collected at 34 different locations monthly during six months with the Merck MAS 100 air sampler. As a result, a total of 5590 fungal colonies in 204 petri dishes were counted. Thirty-two fungal species belonging to 10 genera were identified. The most prevalent genera were the common moulds; Aspergillus (3.91±1.01), Penicillium (16.08±3.10), Cladosporium (40.82±4.15) and Altemaria (7.51±1.82). The results revealed that the most common genus was Cladosporium. Fungal concentration levels in different parts of the stem cell transplantation department ranged from 0 to 340 cfu/m3. In other units of the hospital, fungal load was found to be between 0 and 45600 cfu/m3. When the fungal density of the stem cell transplantation department and that of the other units were compared, fungal density of the stem cell transplantation department was found to be significantly lower (p = 0.000 <0.05). The highest values in our study were determined during the 5th month of this study, because natural gas pipelines were installed around the hospital in this month. In this study, we aimed to emphasize the importance of monitoring the presence of airborne fungal flora, particularly Aspergillus spp, in the departments of a hospital where patients of high-risk groups are hospitalized

Air-borne microfungus flora determined in the different units of the Department of Internal Diseases, Ege University Hospital

In the Medical Faculty of Ege University, indoor airborne fungal concentrations and the types of fungi have been determined in the two parts and the intensive care unit where patients who are admitted to the Department of Internal diseases, Department of Endocrinology, Department of Hematology, Department of Immunology, Department of Nephrology, Department of Rheumatology, Department of Oncology, Department of Gastroenterology and Department of Geriatrics, are treated. For this purpose, air samples were collected in 19 different locations, each month for 6 months, with the Merck MAS 100. Upon the identification of isolates obtained from 3,167 microfungus colonies counted, 43 different species belonging to 13 genera were determined. Of them, the most frequent genera were Aspergillus, Penicillium, Cladosporium and Alternaria. Concentrations of air-borne fungi in several wards of the intensive care unit ranged between 120 and 2,100 cfu/m3. In another part of wards, fungal load was found to be between 20 and 2,280 cfu/m3. When the fungal loads in the intensive care unit and in the other units were compared, no significant difference was found (P = 0.266&gt; 0.05). According to the descriptive statistics kept in April, May and June, there was a large increase in maximum values compared to the other months