Background and Objectives :Microorganisms including Fungi, are among air-transmitted infectious agents at hospitals and patient care settings, which in addition to patients, can afflict Health Care Workers (HCWs) and visitors, and may results in extravagant economic burden and impact on human health. Use of nanotechnology and especially nanosilver particles is one of the methods which are used in infection control. This article is the result of a research project investigating nanosilver painting effect on bioburden of indoor hospital air.
Materials and Methods: The study was aimed to assess antifungal effects of nanosilver painting. Three rooms were selected at the infectious diseases ward of Imam Khomeini hospital complex. Two of the rooms were painted with two brands of nanosilver paints provided from two separate companies (as cases), and the third room with non-nanosilver paint brand(as control).
Results: Air sampling was carried out using a portable air pump (Quick Take 30) at pre-planned schedule Each Sampling was done in two minutes with the rate of 28.3 Liter per minute. Samples were transferred on Sabourauds Dextrose Agar culture, to count the colonies of fungal based on Colony Forming Unite (CFU/m3). Results were analyzed by ANOVA method.
Conclusion: Active sampling method was not able to show statistically significant reduction in the total fungal bioburden between the control and case rooms. In evaluating the time trend of the nanosilver paints effect, sampling measures revealed that nanosilver paints had statistically significant effect in fungal bioburden reduction in the first third( i.e. first month) of the study period.