| Name: | Description: | Size: | Format: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.3 MB | Adobe PDF |
Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
The higher education sector represents a unique environment and it acts as a work environment, a learning environment for students, and frequently, also a home environment. The aim of this study was to determine the microbial contamination (SARS-CoV-2, fungi, and bacteria) in Higher Education Facilities (HEI) by using active and passive sampling methods and combining culture-based methods with molecular tools targeting Aspergillus section Fumigati. In addition, the resistance to azole profile was also assessed. Surface samples showed a range of total bacterial contamination between 1 × 103 to 3.1 × 106 CFU·m−2, while Gram-negative bacteria ranged from 0 to 1.9 × 104 CFU·m−2. Fungal contamination ranged from 2 × 103 to 1.8 × 105 CFU·m−2 on MEA and from 5 × 103 to 1.7 × 105 CFU·m−2 on DG18. The most prevalent species found on both media was Cladosporium sp. (47.36% MEA; 32.33% DG18). Aspergillus genera were observed on MEA (3.21%) and DG18 (14.66%), but not in the supplemented media used for the azole screening. Aspergillus section Fumigati was detected in 2 air samples (2.22%, 2 out of 90 samples) by qPCR. When testing for SARS-CoV-2 all results were negative. The present study showed that although cleaning and disinfection procedures are done regularly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, being effective in eliminating SARS-CoV-2, surfaces were often contaminated with microorganisms other than SARS-CoV-2. This can be a result of increasing resistance to biocides, and to the wide range of environmental factors that can contribute to the dissemination of microbial contamination indoors.
Description
IPL_MOMENTO ZERO (ESTeSL/IPL/2020)
FCT_UIDB/05608/2020
FCT_UIDP/05608/2020
FCT_UIDB/05608/2020
FCT_UIDP/05608/2020
Keywords
Occupational health Occupational exposure Microbiological contamination Active and passive sampling Fungi Bacteria Azole resistance screening Aspergillus spp Aspergillus fumigatus IPL_MOMENTO ZERO (ESTeSL/IPL/2020) FCT_UIDB/05608/2020 FCT_UIDP/05608/2020
Citation
Viegas C, Pimenta R, Brito M, Caetano LA, Carolino E, Gomes AQ, et al. Microbiological contamination assessment in higher education institutes. Atmosphere. 2021;12(8):1079.
Publisher
MDPI