Assessment of azole resistance in clinical settings by passive sampling

Project EXPOsE – Establishing protocols to assess occupational exposure to microbiota in clinical settings (02/SAICT/2016 – Project nº 23222).Introduction - Clinical settings (hospitals, primary health care centers – PHCC), with high occupation rates, present microbiologic agents in their environment. Exposure to mycobiota in indoor environments is related to several adverse human health effects, such as respiratory symptoms. Azole resistance in fungal species and consequent failure of antifungal therapy is a major concern for public health. Portuguese legislation recommends active air sampling for bioburden assessment indoors. Passive sampling can be used in complement to determine bioburden levels from longer periods. Aim of the study - To assess the fungal burden and prevalence of azole resistance in clinical settings in Portugal using passive sampling methods.