Concentrations of Airborne Fungal Contamination in the Medical Surgery Operation Theaters (OT) of Different Hospitals in Northern Jordan

Total count and diversity of the airborne yeasts and filamentous fungi in the medical surgery operation theatres (OT) of six hospitals in northern Jordan were investigated. Sixty five air samples of 100 liters volume/min were collected by a microbiological air sampler from these units during the period June-Decemeber/2005. Air samples were impacted on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA), and then incubated at 25 °C for 21 days. All fungal colonies appeared on agar plates were sub-cultured on two SDA plates, after that incubated at 37 °C and 25 °C for 48 h and 21 days, respectively, and then identified based on the microscopic colony morphology and germ tube test. The average fungal count ranged between 88 and 259 CFU/m^3 with the highest count observed in hospital E (259 CFU/m^3), and the lowest in hospital A (31 CFU/m^3). More diverse colonies (2-13) were observed during June- September than after September (2-3) with the highest diversity (13 colonies) in hospital E. Aspergillus spp. (A. fumigatus, A. niger, A. flavus, A. glaucus and A. terreus) and other molds (Penicillium spp., Mucor spp., Rhizopus spp, Graphium spp, Geotrichum spp, Trichophyton spp, Scopulariopsis spp, Fusarium spp and Microsporum spp) were identified. Two types of yeasts were identified as Candida spp. and Blastomyces spp.