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Detection of Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis in Haematological Malignancy Patients by using Lateral-flow Technology
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Published on: March 22, 2012

Outbreak of invasive Aspergillus infection in surgical patients, associated with a contaminated air-handling system

Brock D Lutz1, Jiankang Jin, Michael G Rinaldi

  • 1The Muchmore Laboratories for Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA.

Clinical Infectious Diseases : an Official Publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
|September 5, 2003
PubMed

Insights

An operating theater's contaminated air-handling system caused an Aspergillus infection outbreak in 6 patients. Remediation of the system stopped the invasive Aspergillus infections.

Area of Science:

  • Medical Microbiology
  • Hospital Epidemiology
  • Environmental Health

Background:

  • An outbreak of invasive Aspergillus infections occurred in a tertiary care hospital.
  • Six patients with conditions including amputation wounds, peritonitis, allograft nephritis, and mediastinitis were identified over two years.
  • All identified cases were linked to a single 12-day period within the operating theater.

Observation:

  • Air quality in the operating theater was assessed using particle counts as a surrogate for Aspergillus conidia.
  • A significant increase in airborne particles (≥3 micrometers) was detected in multiple operating rooms.
  • Video inspection revealed moisture and contamination in ductwork and variable airflow volume units.

Findings:

  • The outbreak was strongly associated with the operating theater environment.
  • Contaminated insulating material within the air-handling system's ductwork and variable airflow volume units was identified as the likely source.
  • A correlation was observed between increased airborne particle counts and the Aspergillus outbreak.

Implications:

  • Deterioration of insulating material in air-handling systems can lead to nosocomial Aspergillus infections.
  • Effective remediation of hospital air-handling systems is crucial for preventing airborne fungal outbreaks.
  • This study highlights the importance of environmental monitoring in healthcare settings to prevent surgical site infections and invasive fungal diseases.

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