Determination of pathogens existed in respiration air of autopsy room by microbiological methods

SUMMARYThe forensic medicine personnel assisting to conduct an autopsy who come in directcontact with body fluids, soft tissues of the dead and skeletal remains in different stages ofdecomposition, are at continuous risk of acquiring various kinds of infectious. Dead bodies invarious conditions often brought for postmortem examination are of unknown back round, therisk of infection from these bodies are also unknown. The transmission of these deadlydisease via blood or any other means, their capacity to represent a source of infection withoutnecessarily being any indication of their presence, their prevalence in individuals such as drugabusers, prostitutes etc, who are liable to meet violent unexplained deaths and the existence ofsocial and ethical pressures which restrict the availability of information, all combine to createsignificant risk for forensic medicine expert and postmortem examination room worker.Autopsy-transmitted infections may occur after direct cutaneus inoculation, contact withdroplets, and aerosol exposure. This research is the first time study indicating the presenceand intensity of microorganisms determined from autopsy rooms in our country.Bearing this in mind, our study aimed to show not only the extent of occupationalhazard and determine the presence and number of colonies of gram positive and gramnegative bacteria and fungi in breathing-respiration air of autopsy room prior, during and afterperforming an autopsy but also examine the agents effecting the presence and colony numbersof bacteria and fungi. Also we have targeted to evaluate whether the respiration air of autopsyroom was appropriate for occupational environment.Samples were taken by settle plate method and air sampler method prior autopsy,during autopsy and after whole autopsies performed and the room was cleaned in the periodof 19 days in spring and summer seasons at autopsy room of Council of Forensic MedicineMortuary in (zmir. Sabouraud Dextroz Agar was used for isolation of the fungus and mould,blood agar was used for isolation of bacteria from air. The evaluation stages of samples wereperformed at laboratories of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology Department of DokuzEylül University School of Medicine.In our study, we have showed whether there were any differences in the number ofbacteria and fungi colonies by the effects of season, moisture, air conditioning system,temperature in autopsy room, number of staff and desks in autopsy room, number of autopsiesperformed and number of decomposed bodies. 14 types of bacteria and 26 types of fungi werereproduced in respiration air at autopsy room. Mostly reproduced bacteria presented amonggram positive ones in autopsy room respiration air were coagulase negative staphylococcus,Micrococcus spp, Bacillus spp., Diphteroid bacil, among gram negative ones wereAcinetobacter spp., Proteus mirabilis, Eschericia coli, among fungi ones were Penicilliumspp., Alternaria spp., Aspergillus flavus. With respect to number of colonies determined byboth methods in our study, respiration air of autopsy room was found contaminated one dayprior to autopsy, four days during autopsy, two days after autopsy for bacteria and one dayprior to autopsy, 18 days during autopsy, 4 days after autopsy for fungi.There has been neither a national standard procedure nor a legislation designated byofficial health foundations with regard to microbiological enumeration of respiration air inautopsy rooms of our country. Our study has taken a step contributed to the necessity of usingappropriate conditioning systems and establishing national safety-cleanliness standardspreventing transmitted infections. In conclusion, performing further studies in differentcenters could help establishing a national standard and acceptable standardizedmicrobiological enumerations concerning minimum air cleaning.Keywords: Autopsy room, autopsy staff, air transmitted infections, occupational disease,bacteria, fungi.