بررسي آلودگي هاي قارچي در استخرهاي سرپوسيده شهر زنجان در سال 1382

Fungal Contamination in Indoor Swimming Pools in Zanjan-Iran 2003

Background: Concerning the problems created by lack of hygiene in indoor swimming pools and existence of pathogens such as fungi and lack of proper sewage systems and disinfectants in these places we carried out this study to investigate fungal infection in swimming pools in Zanjan. Materials & Methods: In this survey fungal contamination of five indoor swimming pools in Zanjan was investigated using membrane filtration and sterile carpet sampling methods during summer. Nine samples from water and related areas of each swimming pool were tested for presence of fungi. Final diagnosis to identify the species was carried out by slide culture technique. Results: The most common fungi isolated from swimming pools included dermatophytes (Trichophyton mentagrophytes & Epidermophyton floccosum) (0.5%), yeasts (21.8%) and opportunistic saprophytes (77.7%). Out of saprophyte fungi 24.8% were separated from pools margin, 22.7% from dressing rooms, 16.9% from pool water and 11.40% from shower-bath .Also yeast fungi were separated from pool water (7.4%), and from shower-bath (3.2%) and dermatophytes were separated from dressing bath (0.23%). Conclusion: The fungal contamination of the swimming pools under certain conditions could be hazardous and an alarm indication of infections and allergy in compromised hosts.