hedayati mt

Fungi are widely distributed in nature and they are usually present in attomospher but other sources such as water play an important role in their ecology. This study was done to evaluate mycoflora assessment in drinking tap water in Sari, North of Iran. The tap water collected form Sari water distribution system for fungi.

In this descriptive study, a volume of 100 ml of tap drinking water samples (n=60) were collected in sterile bottles. All water samples passed through sterile 0.45 micrometer filters. The filters were placed directly on Malt extract agar and incubated at 27°C for 3-7 days. Routine mycological techniques were applied to identify the grown fungi.

Out of 468 grown fungal colonies, eight different fungal genera were identified. The total mean cfu per 100 ml for the positive samples were 8.4. Aspergillus (37.4%) and Penicillium (27.3%) were the most common isolated fungi. Rhizopus (0.6%) had the lowest frequency. Among Aspergillus species, A. flavus had the highest frequency.

Our result showed that various fungi were present in the tap drinking water. We propose fungi should be considered as part of the microbiological analysis parameters in drinking tap water.

ntroduction: Allergic fungal Rhinosinusitis (AFRS) is the most common form of fungal sinusitis in patients with refractory chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). According to high occurrence of AFRS in warm regions with high humidity, in this study we evaluated the prevalence of AFRS in patients with refractory chronic rhinosinusitis from Sari city, Iran. During one year, 134 surgical sinus specimens were retrieved from 50 cases with refractory CRS. Specimens were analyzed by histopathological and mycological methods including Hematoxylin & Eosin, Periodic Acid- Schiff, and CalcoFlour White staining and also mounted by KOH. These samples were also processed for fungal culture. Total serum IgE was evaluated for all patients. Of 50 patients, 12 cases (24%) showed AFRS based on clinical, histopathological, mycological and radiological findings. Although collected samples from these patients were all microscopically positive for fungi, only 58.34% of these patient's specimens yielded fungi in culture. Aspergillus flavus was the most prevalent isolated fungi (33.34 %). 16/66% of these patients had elevated total IgE levels. Nasal polyps, history of atopy and Eosinophilic mucin were seen in all patients with AFRS. The results of our study showed AFRS is a common disorder in patients with CRS. Sinonasal polyposis and history of atopy were found in all patients with AFRS, therefore considering these important criteria in diagnosis of AFRS is emphasized.