Quantification Identification of Bacterial and Fungal Aerosol Contamination in the Outpatient Department at Thammasat University Hospital
Keywords:
contaminate , bacterial aerosol, fungal aerosol, outpatient departmentAbstract
Nosocomial infections are primarily caused by airborne pathogens. Airborne microorganisms cause
respiratory disease infection can be transmitted from person to person, which is dangerous to health.
Therefore, the objective of this study was to survey the quantity and types of bacteria and fungi in
the air. In the outpatient department of Thammasat University Hospital Pathum Thani Province. Using
air sampler, a product of Thermo Scientific, model Thermo EM0100A, USA, 10 minutes at a time,
collecting samples at 2 times in the morning from 7:00 to 8:00 a.m. and in the afternoon from 3:00 to
4:00 p.m. between January and March 2022 by surveying within the outpatient unit 9 departments and
corridors outside the disease examination unit 9 areas total 18 areas with a total of 972 samples. The
results showed bacterial count of 3383.00x103 CFU/m3 and fungi count of 4127.00x103 CFU/m3. Three
types of bacteria were found: Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase-negative Staphylococci and Bacillus spp..
The most common bacteria were coagulase-negative staphylococci found at 66.72% (2257x103). A
total of 8 types of fungi were found Penicillium spp., Fusarium spp., Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus
flavus, Curvularia spp., Aspergillus fumigatus, Scedosporium spp., and Rhizopus spp. The most
common fungi were Penicillium spp., at 32.21% (1412x103). It was found that the afternoon had
a higher amount of microorganisms than in the morning. Additionally, in the pediatric examination
unit, microbial values exceeded the standard criteria of the guidelines for good indoor air quality in office
premises. From this study, it was found that the levels of bacteria and fungi were associated with
respiratory diseases. Therefore, to prevent disease and infection in hospitals, attention must be paid to
controlling environmental factors for the growth of microorganisms in the air to protect the health of
patients and those receiving services.
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