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Contamination of Hospital Water with Aspergillus fumigatus Is Influenced by the Natural Reservoir.

WARRIS A, GAUSTAD P, VOSS A, ABRAHAMSEN TG, VERWEIJ PE; Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (41st : 2001 : Chicago, Ill.).

Abstr Intersci Conf Antimicrob Agents Chemother Intersci Conf Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2001 Dec 16-19; 41: abstract no. J-255.
Univ. Med. Ctr. St. Radboud, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

BACKGROUND: Our recent discovery of hospital water as a source of A. fumigatus prompted us to test the hypothesis that the kind of natural reservoir might be responsible for the level of contamination of hospital water with A. fumigatus. METHODS: In Norway, the population within the city of Oslo is supplied by drinking water recovered from surface water. This water undergoes treatment with aeration, microstraining and chlorination. In contrast, water used for personal needs in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, is recovered from ground water and is not treated for use, except for correcting the pH. Furthermore, water is stored in large tanks after pumping the water up. Water samples taken at the intake reservoirs (total 10-35L), and from various locations inside both hospitals (26-60L), were filtrated through Millipore filters (pore-size 0.45 micro-m) and the filters were placed on Sabouraud glucose agar with antibiotics. Plates were incubated at 35 degreesC for 7 days and examined every 24 hours. Fungi were identified by macroscopic and microscopic characteristics. RESULTS: No A. fumigatus was recovered from ground water, whereas 55% of the samples taken from surface water showed growth of A. fumigatus. The same pattern was observed inside the hospitals, no A. fumigatus could be recovered from water collected in the Dutch hospital, whereas in the Norwegian hospital 43% of the water samples tested positive for the presence of A. fumigatus. CONCLUSION: The kind of natural reservoirs influences the fungal contamination of water inside hospitals and measurements should be carried out to protect patients at risk for infections caused by A. fumigatus.