Health Scope. 2024 February; 13(1):e142408. Published online 2024 February 17. https://doi.org/10.5812/healthscope-142408. Systematic Review Analysis of Fungal Infections and Public Community Literature in Iran: A Systematic Review Abdolahad Nabiolahi 1 , Fateme Koul 2 and Nasser Keikha 3, * 1 Department of Medical Library and Information Sciences, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran 2 Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Research Institute of Cellular and Molecular Sciences in Infectious Diseases, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran 3 Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Research Institute of Cellular and Molecular Sciences in Infectious Diseases, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran * Corresponding author: Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Research Institute of Cellular and Molecular Sciences in Infectious Diseases, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran. Email: nasserkeikha@yahoo.com Received 2023 October 24; Revised 2024 January 10; Accepted 2024 January 21. Abstract Context: Today, the emergence of fungal infections in public places has become a focus, especially in developing countries. Objectives: The present study aimed to study the literature on fungal infections in public places in Iran to find a variety of fungal infections. Study Selection: A search was performed to identify relevant studies in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Scientific Information Database (SID), and Magiran databases from 2010 to 2022 using special keywords and equivalents. Overall, 25 studies met the inclusion criteria. Finally, the required information was extracted and discussed. Results: The research findings indicate that the research design of most of the papers was cross-sectional. Most of the studies in the field of fungal infections in public environments in Iran have been carried out in places such as swimming pools, schools, some health-related environments, cultivation environments, and soil. Different species of Aspergillus, Penicillium, Mucor, and Mucormycosis were identified in the environments. Conclusions: Examination of different species showed a combination of superficial, skin, mucosal, and visceral fungal infections observed in public places. Prevention and environmental analysis should be given more attention by health policy-makers in order to reinforce public health. Keywords: Invasive Fungal Infections, Public Communities, Iran 1. Context Fungal infections cause many diseases around the world. The most common fungal infections are superficial fungal infections, which have a high prevalence rate (1). The analysis of the frequency of fungal infections shows that as people get older, the prevalence of fungal infections increases (2). Dermatophytes are a group of molds that can invade tissues with keratinous, such as hair, nails, and the outer layer of skin (3). Previous reports stated that in COVID-19 patients, the most reported infections were aspergillosis, candidiasis, and mucormycosis (4). Moreover, oral candidiasis is rampant in cancerous patients who have a wound in their mouth and are undergoing chemotherapy (5). Aspergillus fumigatus spores can be found almost all over the world. These spores can effortlessly get to the airways and sensitize people who are suffering from asthma (6). Sanitation of public places has a direct connection with people’s health in society. Contagious diseases are among the most significant public health challenges (7). For instance, the hygiene of hotels is very important, and it is a criterion for their ranking and star rating (8). Nowadays, the consumption of confectionery products is high in society, and the hygiene of pastry workshops is very important because these pastries are exposed to microbes, which can cause different types of infections or poisonings (9). Oral prostheses may be contaminated with microbes and cause illness to dental staff and patients. These microbes can cause systemic infections, pneumonia, and heart infections in the elderly and people with immune system defects (10). Fungal infections are very important, and many people are infected every year, but they are disregarded in Iran. Health authorities should Copyright © 2024, Nabiolahi et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.