Work

Multiyear environmental surveillance in a pediatric teaching hospital: association between airborne mold spores and invasive mold infections

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Background: The utility of routine environmental sampling to monitor the airborne fungal load (AFL) in healthcare settings is uncertain. Methods: AFL was measured by monthly cultures at a tertiary-care pediatric hospital from November 2018 through October 2023 on eleven units caring for patients at risk for invasive mold infection (IMI). Surveillance for healthcare-associated IMI was conducted for all patients in the healthcare system using locally developed definitions for possible, probable, and definite hospital-onset infections. Poisson regression was used to analyze the association between AFL and monthly IMI rates. Results: 78 cases of IMI were identified during the period of AFL monitoring. Of these, 51 infections were classified as healthcare-associated probable or proven IMI and were tested for association with AFL measurements. There was not a significant facility-wide association between the average monthly AFL and the overall IMI rate. On units where hematology/oncology patients were treated, however, an increase in average monthly local AFL for opportunistic fungal pathogens of 1 CFU/m 3 was associated with a 1.48-fold increase in the IMI rate for these patients (95% CI 1.00–2.19, P = .05). The AFL for Aspergillus species on these units showed a particularly strong association with the hematology/oncology IMI rate (15.9-fold elevation for an increase of 1 CFU/m 3 [95% CI 2.8–90.7, P = .002]). Neither hematology/oncology nor facility-wide IMI rates showed comparable associations with changes of the AFL in outdoor air. Conclusions: Regular monitoring of AFL on targeted hospital units may identify periods when hematology/oncology patients are at increased risk for IMI.

Source: Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology

DOI: 10.1017/ice.2025.10264

Authors: Bethany Phillips, Zachary M. Most, Bryan Connors, Patricia Jackson, Michael E. Sebert

Institutions: The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Environmental Health, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children

Language: English

Topic: Antifungal resistance and susceptibility

Subfield: Infectious Diseases

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,550