Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development

Fungal contamination of hospital environment considered as risk factor for burned patients. Therefore, the objective was to investigate the occurrence, distribution, and diversity of fungi in burn units at Baquba teaching hospital, Iraq.

One hundred eighty specimens environmental and instrumental specimens collected from Burn units at Baquba teaching hospital using transport media swabs. Ninety specimens were collected before sterilization and equal numbers were collected after sterilization. Swaps were cultured onto different culture media, the cultivated plates were incubated at 28ºC for 7–14 days with daily examination and observation.

Before and after sterilization, the percentages of fungal contamination were 63.3% and 40.0%, respectively. Before sterilization, Aspergillus niger was identified as the major contaminated species in burn units, with a percentage 19.3%. Whereas after sterilization, A. niger and Penicillium spp. were identified as the major contaminated species in burn units, with equal percentage 22.2%.

Our results concluded that a high frequency of fungal contamination in the burn units, particularly with Aspergillus spp. so these conditions considered a risk factor for burned patients and other persons in the hospital in particular who suffer from deficiency in immune system.