Fungal Contamination of a Hospital Water System With Fusarium App.: Prospective Environmental and Medical Surveillance During a Construction Period

Fusarium are microscopic filamentous fungi that live as saprobiontics in outside environments. They are found in the soil, the air, in water and on numerous plants. The frequency of fusariosis is currently increasing and Fusarium-related mycoses are the 3rd most frequent invasive mycoses. Most cases have been reported in the United States, in France, in Italy and in Brazil. A few epidemiological studies have shown the role of water in the appearance of mycoses in highly immunodepressed patients. Few studies have focused on the role of water in the transmission of mycoses in hospitals. The aim of this prospective study is to describe, in time and pace, the contamination by Fusarium sp. in the water of two different hospitals (Dijon, Nancy), by taking into account factors such as seasons and major works (reconstruction of a hospital). In each hospital, one reconstruction site will be compared with a site not under reconstruction (control).

Water samples will be taken from the rooms of hospitalized patients.