Nosocomial aspergillosis is waterborne

Abstract

Nosocomial invasive aspergillosis can cause life-threatening infections among immunosuppressed patients and is thought to be primarily airborne. Despite the use of appropriate hospital air filtration systems, however, the incidence of this infection continues to increase. In this article, we present our hypothesis, which is that nosocomial aspergillosis can be airborne from a water source in the hospital. If confirmed by ongoing studies, this hypothesis would imply a change in the current infection control practices aimed at preventing nosocomial aspergillosis.