Fungal Flora in Mineral Swimming Pools of Sarein-Iran (2005)

Pools and Saunas are one of the most public areas that may cause superficial and cutaneous mycoses in humans. So investigating the fungal flora in the mineral swimming pools like Sarein area can remove or reduce the contamination or prevent the probablity of fungal infection.

A total of 284 samples from 11 mineral swimming pools were taken of which 214 were from pools, sauna Jacuzzis, tubs and showers which were covered by sterile moquette and 70 were from water in saunas, jacuzzis, tubs and showers which were collected in sterile test tubes. All of the samples were cultured in standard method on sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA), sabouraud dextrose agar+oleic acid (S+O) and sabouraud dextrose agar+ chloramphenichol+cyclohexamide (SCC) medias, then identified macroscopically (colony morphology)and microscopically.

From 284 samples, 193 were contaminated with fungi. The most frequently isolated species in 11 pools were Aspergillus fumigatus (22/79%), Aspergillus flavus (15/54%), Aspergillus niger (15/54%) and Penicillium (14/5%) respectively. On the other hand, Ulocladium, Sepedonium, Acremonium, Pscilomyces, Stemphylium and Streptomyces with 0.51 % were the least frequently isolated species. In this study, no dermatophytes or other true dimorphic pathogenic fungi were isolated from samples.

So it can be concluded that routine hygiene inspections such as disinfection of pools, personnel training and following hygienic rules were much effective in lowering the comtamination. Also mineral waters of these pools can be growth inhibitors of pathogenic and dermatophytic fungi.