Prospective Environmental Surveillance of Aspergillus spp. During Hospital Renovation: Evidence of Potential Fungal Dissemination Through Shared Ceiling Voids
Prospective surveillance study finds localized Aspergillus dispersal through shared ceiling voids during hospital renovation, highlighting the necessity of targeted containment barriers.
Key Points
To evaluate environmental dissemination pathways of airborne Aspergillus species during the renovation of a high-care unit in a tertiary care hospital.
Conducted prospective air sampling (500 L/sample) before, during, and after renovation across five hospital locations in a 1,000-bed tertiary hospital in Japan.
Cultured pre-renovation dust from the high-care unit ceiling void and identified fungal isolates using internal transcribed spacer sequencing.
Reviewed quarterly counts of patients with positive Aspergillus microbiological or serological findings from 2015 to 2025 to evaluate clinical transmission.
Aspergillus fumigatus was isolated from dust collected within the ceiling void prior to the start of demolition.
During renovation, Aspergillus spp. were detected exclusively on the floor directly below the renovation area and in zones sharing the ceiling void, while the independent intensive care unit remained clear.
Quarterly patient surveillance from 2015 to 2025 demonstrated no apparent increase in positive Aspergillus microbiological or serological findings during the renovation period.