Refinements of Environmental Assessment During an Outbreak Investigation of Invasive Aspergillosis in a Leukemia and Bone Marrow Transplant Unit

Abstract

During active construction, Aspergillus spores may have entered the oncology unit from the physically adjacent hospital because the air pressure differed. Guidelines that establish the minimum acceptable pressures and specify which pressure relationships to test in healthcare settings are needed. Our data show that large-volume air samples are superior to small-volume samples to assess for Aspergillus in the healthcare environment.