A scoping review on bio-aerosols in healthcare and the dental environment.

<h4>Background</h4>Bio-aerosols originate from different sources and their potentially pathogenic nature may form a hazard to healthcare workers and patients. So far no extensive review on existing evidence regarding bio-aerosols is available.<h4>Objectives</h4>This study aim...

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Main Authors: Charifa Zemouri, Hans de Soet, Wim Crielaard, Alexa Laheij
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2017-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0178007&type=printable
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author Charifa Zemouri
Hans de Soet
Wim Crielaard
Alexa Laheij
author_facet Charifa Zemouri
Hans de Soet
Wim Crielaard
Alexa Laheij
author_sort Charifa Zemouri
collection DOAJ
description <h4>Background</h4>Bio-aerosols originate from different sources and their potentially pathogenic nature may form a hazard to healthcare workers and patients. So far no extensive review on existing evidence regarding bio-aerosols is available.<h4>Objectives</h4>This study aimed to review evidence on bio-aerosols in healthcare and the dental setting. The objectives were 1) What are the sources that generate bio-aerosols?; 2) What is the microbial load and composition of bio-aerosols and how were they measured?; and 3) What is the hazard posed by pathogenic micro-organisms transported via the aerosol route of transmission?<h4>Methods</h4>Systematic scoping review design. Searched in PubMed and EMBASE from inception to 09-03-2016. References were screened and selected based on abstract and full text according to eligibility criteria. Full text articles were assessed for inclusion and summarized. The results are presented in three separate objectives and summarized for an overview of evidence.<h4>Results</h4>The search yielded 5,823 studies, of which 62 were included. Dental hand pieces were found to generate aerosols in the dental settings. Another 30 sources from human activities, interventions and daily cleaning performances in the hospital also generate aerosols. Fifty-five bacterial species, 45 fungi genera and ten viruses were identified in a hospital setting and 16 bacterial and 23 fungal species in the dental environment. Patients with certain risk factors had a higher chance to acquire Legionella in hospitals. Such infections can lead to irreversible septic shock and death. Only a few studies found that bio-aerosol generating procedures resulted in transmission of infectious diseases or allergic reactions.<h4>Conclusion</h4>Bio-aerosols are generated via multiple sources such as different interventions, instruments and human activity. Bio-aerosols compositions reported are heterogeneous in their microbiological composition dependent on the setting and methodology. Legionella species were found to be a bio-aerosol dependent hazard to elderly and patients with respiratory complaints. But all aerosols can be can be hazardous to both patients and healthcare workers.
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spelling doaj-art-0fa76494f67740aa965a43f41281e9a02025-02-05T05:33:11ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032017-01-01125e017800710.1371/journal.pone.0178007A scoping review on bio-aerosols in healthcare and the dental environment.Charifa ZemouriHans de SoetWim CrielaardAlexa Laheij<h4>Background</h4>Bio-aerosols originate from different sources and their potentially pathogenic nature may form a hazard to healthcare workers and patients. So far no extensive review on existing evidence regarding bio-aerosols is available.<h4>Objectives</h4>This study aimed to review evidence on bio-aerosols in healthcare and the dental setting. The objectives were 1) What are the sources that generate bio-aerosols?; 2) What is the microbial load and composition of bio-aerosols and how were they measured?; and 3) What is the hazard posed by pathogenic micro-organisms transported via the aerosol route of transmission?<h4>Methods</h4>Systematic scoping review design. Searched in PubMed and EMBASE from inception to 09-03-2016. References were screened and selected based on abstract and full text according to eligibility criteria. Full text articles were assessed for inclusion and summarized. The results are presented in three separate objectives and summarized for an overview of evidence.<h4>Results</h4>The search yielded 5,823 studies, of which 62 were included. Dental hand pieces were found to generate aerosols in the dental settings. Another 30 sources from human activities, interventions and daily cleaning performances in the hospital also generate aerosols. Fifty-five bacterial species, 45 fungi genera and ten viruses were identified in a hospital setting and 16 bacterial and 23 fungal species in the dental environment. Patients with certain risk factors had a higher chance to acquire Legionella in hospitals. Such infections can lead to irreversible septic shock and death. Only a few studies found that bio-aerosol generating procedures resulted in transmission of infectious diseases or allergic reactions.<h4>Conclusion</h4>Bio-aerosols are generated via multiple sources such as different interventions, instruments and human activity. Bio-aerosols compositions reported are heterogeneous in their microbiological composition dependent on the setting and methodology. Legionella species were found to be a bio-aerosol dependent hazard to elderly and patients with respiratory complaints. But all aerosols can be can be hazardous to both patients and healthcare workers.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0178007&type=printable
spellingShingle Charifa Zemouri
Hans de Soet
Wim Crielaard
Alexa Laheij
A scoping review on bio-aerosols in healthcare and the dental environment.
PLoS ONE
title A scoping review on bio-aerosols in healthcare and the dental environment.
title_full A scoping review on bio-aerosols in healthcare and the dental environment.
title_fullStr A scoping review on bio-aerosols in healthcare and the dental environment.
title_full_unstemmed A scoping review on bio-aerosols in healthcare and the dental environment.
title_short A scoping review on bio-aerosols in healthcare and the dental environment.
title_sort scoping review on bio aerosols in healthcare and the dental environment
url https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0178007&type=printable
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