Effects Of Asperguillus Essay, Research Paper

Effects of Asperguillus

Aspergillus spp. is a type of fungus that forms spores. It is normally

found in soil, water, and decaying vegetation. In the hospital environment, the

spores settle in some part of the ventilation system. Spores are also stirred

up from construction and renovation. Additional sources of the fungal spores

could be contaminated or wet wood, bird droppings in air ducts, or decaying

fireproofing materials. The fungus causes pneumonia in a host with a weak or

otherwise compromised immune system. Patients at risk are those undergoing

organ transplant or bone marrow transplants, and depending on the type of

transplant, mortality rates are as high as 95%. Bone marrow transplant patients,

the highest risk group, should be treated like they are immunosuppressed for up

to four weeks after the procedure. The portal of entry is through the upper

respiratory track. The infection then becomes systemic and is spread into

multiple deep organs. Because few reliable tests are available for diagnosing

pneumonia due to Aspergillus, clinicians often use a lung biopsy. Blood culture

techniques fail because antibody responses in immunocompromised patients give

false indications of infection. Identification of a source of the fungi is

difficult, but can be determined through careful evaluation of each additional

case. A better solution is to develop protected areas for high risk patients.

These protected areas would have special air filtration systems that direct air

flow only in certain directions. The doors to these rooms would have vacuum

seals and would have a higher pressure inside than outside. The end goal of the

protected areas would be to increase air flow in the room to the point that the

air becomes essentially sterile and to maintain a clean environment. The costs

of implementing a ?protected area? system may be prohibitively high.