Reduced fungal contamination of the indoor environment with the Plasmairä system (Airinspace) N. Sixt a , F. Dalle b,c , I. Lafon d , S. Aho e , G. Couillault f , S. Valot b , C. Calinon a,b,e , V. Danaire a,b,e , O. Vagner b , B. Cuisenier b , M. Sautour b , J.P. Besancenot g , C. L’Ollivier b , D. Caillot d , A. Bonnin a,b, * a Environmental Microbiology, Hoˆpital du Bocage, BP 77908, 21079 Dijon Cedex, France b Parasitology and Mycology laboratory, Hoˆpital du Bocage, BP 77908, 21079 Dijon Cedex, France c Medical and Molecular Microbiology, Faculte´de Me´decine, BP 87900, 21079 Dijon Cedex, France d Clinical Haematology unit, Hoˆpital d’Enfants, BP 77908, 21079 Dijon Cedex, France e Hospital Hygiene and Epidemiology unit, Hoˆpital du Bocage, BP 77908, 21079 Dijon Cedex, France f Paediatric Onco-haematology unit, Hoˆpital d’Enfants, BP 77908, 21079 Dijon Cedex, France g Climate and Health laboratory, Faculte´de me´decine, BP 87900, 21079 Dijon Cedex, France Received 18 May 2006; accepted 30 October 2006 Available online 18 December 2006 KEYWORDS Aspergillus; Fungus; Hospital; Nosocomial infection; Air-treatment Summary Aspergillus spp. and other moulds cause life-threatening op- portunistic infections in immunocompromised patients. Indoor contamina- tion and construction work that liberate fungal spores are a major source of nosocomial aspergillosis. Dijon hospital is a tertiary care institution in northeast France undergoing construction work beside high-risk clinical units. To determine the impact of this activity, a surveillance programme was implemented one year before building work began in order to establish baseline levels of contamination. Air and surface fungal contamination in adult and paediatric haematology units were prospectively examined fol- lowing use, or not, of a new air-treatment system with mobile Plasmairä units (Airinspace). There were significant reductions in overall fungal contamination for the Plasmairä treated rooms for air and surface sam- ples in both clinical units. Plasmairä treatment also significantly reduced * Corresponding author. Address: Laboratoire de Parasitologie Mycologie, Ho ˆpital du Bocage, BP 77908, 21079 DIJON Cedex, France. Tel.: þ33 (0)380 29 36 03; fax: þ33 (0)380 29 32 80. E-mail address: alain.bonnin@chu-dijon.fr 0195-6701/$ - see front matter ª 2006 The Hospital Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jhin.2006.10.013 Journal of Hospital Infection (2007) 65, 156e162 www.elsevierhealth.com/journals/jhin