Fungi

The indoor air environment can potentially place patients at greater risk than the outside environment because enclosed spaces can confine aerosols and allow them to build up to infectious levels .It becomes imperative to undertake a study of the microbiological air quality of the airborne micro-flora in the environments of two major hospitals, Ruby Hall Clinic and Jehangir in Pune- India. In Jehangir hospital Staphylococcus aureus (15.74%) was found to be the most common organism. The correlation between the location of sampling and concentration of Staphylococcus aureus showed patient room (65±3)> neonatal ward (22±1.41)> intensive care unit (22±2.82)> operating room (16±1.73)> the main entrance of the hospital (0±0).  While Staphylococcus aureus (25.2%), followed by coagulase negative Staphylococcus (21.78%) and M. luteus (16.28%) were found to be the most common in a Ruby Hall hospital. The correlation between the location of sampling and concentration of Staphylococcus aureus in Ruby hall hospital , showed patient room (45±4.24)> intensive care unit (22±2.82)> neonatal ward (12± 2.80)> operating room (8±1.41)> the main entrance of the hospital (3±2.85). Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., Rhizopus spp. and Alternaria spp. were isolated in both hospitals. Maximum bacterial rates were detected in the patient rooms, while minimum bacterial rates were detected in the operating rooms and neonatal wards. The time of visit showed higher microbial rates in hospital.

Many historical limestone and sandstone monuments in Bhopal are seriously threatened by bio-deterioration and are in need of investigation and conservation. Bio-deterioration processes result from complex interactions of surface-invading microbes (such as fungi) with the surface material. The present investigation focuses on the conservation of monuments by determining the antifungal effect of azoles against the fungal isolates isolated from the monuments of Bhopal: Aspergillus niger, A. flavus, A. fumigatus, Rhizopus arrhizus and Penicillium sp.We determined the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of antimicrobial agents using the guidelines of National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (M38-A). To determine MICs, the inoculums of the above isolates were exposed to itraconazole, ketoconazole, fluconazole, griseofulvin and clotrimazole. We found that the order of in vitro activity of these antifungal agents against the fungal isolates is Itraconazole> Ketoconazole >Clotrimazole = Fluconazole = Griseofulvin. This result suggests that the use of Itraconazole and Ketoconazole should be a primary consideration in the conservation of monuments. Spraying or painting with these antifungal drugs could protect the monuments from fungal biofilm development.