Aspergillus environmental monitoring in critical care
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigation of methods for fungal air monitoring and air quality to estimate baseline acceptable levels in Critical Care Units and azole resistance.
IRAS ID
325060
Contact name
Sharon Bamber
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 7 months, 31 days
Research summary
Aspergillus species are a type of mould commonly found in the environment.
Aspergillus infection can occur by breathing in aspergillus spores from the air. A healthy person’s immune system would normally clear the fungus from the airways, however people with poor immune systems are at risk at developing an infection, which can lead to severe illness and death.
In healthcare, specialist air ventilation systems are used in some ward areas, for example in critical care units or some cancer patient areas, to reduce the microbes in the air that can lead to infection. However, poorly maintained air systems can also be a source of high levels of fungus. In addition, resistance to antifungal drugs used to treat these infections is becoming a concern which can lead to treatment failures.
Although some guidelines recommend fungal air monitoring in some circumstances, there is no standard or easy to use method. There is also no standard guideline for acceptable levels of Aspergillus species in a critical care unit.
The main aim of this project is to establish a method or guideline to help identify increased levels of fungus in the healthcare environment to guide Infection Control teams to when action is required to prevent hospital acquired infection. The second aim is to investigate local antifungal resistance in the fungi isolated.
This project will involve using different methods of sampling air and surfaces on wards for the presence of fungi within the trust over one year. Data obtained will also be compared and analysed against clinical data for fungal infections and patients receiving antifungal treatment during the testing period.REC name
London - South East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/PR/0268
Date of REC Opinion
15 Mar 2023
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion