An Investigation of Fungal Contamination in Hot Springs of Mahallat City, Summer 2016 (Iran)

Hot springs are one of therapeutic places, and hot water pools as carrier of fungal diseases, play a role in disease transmission. The objective of this study was investigation of fungi (saprophyte and dermatophyte) from pools and hot springs in Mahallat city.
In this descriptive study, 87 samples were collected from places, including 5 hot springs, 24 pools and ponds. After filtration, the samples were cultured on two medium (Sabouraud’s dextrose agar with chloramphenicol and Sabouraud’s dextrose agar with chloramphenicol and cyclohexamide), and then, were incubated at 25°C for 1-3 weeks. The grown fungi were examined macroscopically and microscopically.
Out of 87 collected samples, 23 samples (26.43%) were fungus-positive. Out of final 353 colonies, 150 (42.49%) and 203 (57.50%) colonies were filamentous and yeasts, respectively. The identified fungi included 125 colonies of (35.41%) Rhodotorula spp., 101 colonies (28.61%) of Penicillium spp., 78 colonies (22.09%) of Candida spp., 30 colonies of (8.49%) Aspergillus niger, 8 colonies (2.26%) of Aspergillus flavus, 3 colonies (0.84%) of Aspergillus fumigatus, 3 colonies (0.84%) of Cladosporium spp., 2 colonies (0.56%) of Alternaria spp., 1 colony (0.28%) of Fusarium spp., 1 colony (0.28%) of Geotrichum spp., and 1 colony (0.28%) of Black Mold. No dermatophyte fungus was observed.
Based on the findings of this study, the presence of pathogenic fungi in water can be hazardous to human health. In this study, most of the identified fungi, were, respectively, Rhodotorula spp, Penicillium spp, Candida spp, and Aspergillus spp. Also, some of the hot springs, pools, and ponds, were contaminated with fungi due to lack of proper protection and direct contact with outside environment.