Contribution of DNA Metabarcoding to the Environmental Fungal Assessments in Hospitals.

ABSTRACT: Hospitals are particularly sensitive environments where immunosuppressed patients might acquire invasive fungal infections. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out periodical environmental microbiological assessments that evaluate the fungal bioburden in air and surfaces from different hospital zones. Current microbiological monitoring protocols at healthcare settings are mostly based on cultivation, while environmental DNA (eDNA) assessments are still scarce and should be further evaluated. To fill this gap, this study combines a large sampling scheme, comprising > 200 samples (air, surface, dust and soil) collected from four zones at three Spanish hospitals in two campaigns (winter and autumn), with two eDNA approaches (DNA metabarcoding and quantitative PCR) to characterize the hospital

SUBMITTER: Garcia-Gutierrez L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12722384 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature