Aspergillus Section Fumigati in Firefighter Headquarters

Area of Science:

• Environmental microbiology
• Occupational health
• Mycology

Background:

• Aspergillus section Fumigati is linked to respiratory issues and health problems.
• Firefighter headquarters (FFHs) are environments where occupational exposure to Aspergillus may occur.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the distribution of Aspergillus section Fumigati in FFHs.
• To assess occupational exposure to Aspergillus section Fumigati in firefighters.

Main Methods:

• Employed active (impaction) and passive (swabs, EDCs, settled dust) sampling.
• Utilized culture-based methods and molecular detection (qPCR) for Aspergillus section Fumigati.
• Analyzed fungal prevalence across different matrices and media (MEA, DG18).

Main Results:

• Aspergillus sp. were most abundant in settled dust and cleaning cloths.
• Aspergillus section Fumigati predominated in Millipore, EDC, swab, and settled dust samples.
• Higher detection rates of Aspergillus section Fumigati were observed on DG18 compared to MEA.
• Fungi potentially resistant to azoles were detected in FFHs via passive sampling and qPCR.

Conclusions:

• Aspergillus sp. and Aspergillus section Fumigati are prevalent in all studied FFHs.
• The presence of potentially azole-resistant fungi in FFHs indicates a significant occupational health concern.
• Further studies are required to develop effective preventive and corrective measures against Aspergillus contamination in this environment.