Bioaerosols and Hospital Infections

Increasing threats from new and emerging diseases and rising numbers of hospital-acquired infections and drug-resistant pathogens have again raised the concern that air plays a key role in disease transmission. Hospital environments are particularly vulnerable to infections because people carrying infectious agents and those most at risk of infection come together there. Moreover, modern technology and medical treatment have the potential to provide new habitats and opportunities for microorganisms to propagate, spread and infect their victims. The quality of healthcare, hospital design and facility management and hospital hygiene can also influence the risk of infection transmission in hospitals. In the wake of such important issues, this chapter will first introduce bioaerosol-related infections in hospitals and explore different sources and pathways for transmission. Afterwards, we will review bioaerosol properties and deposition in human respiratory systems before discussing the chain of infection and infection control in hospitals. This information will assist the audience to understand the application of aerosol science and technology in infection control. We will divide this part into Understanding hospital aerobiology and infection control, Bioaerosol experiments and models, Numerical analysis of particle dispersion in hospitals, and Air cleaning technologies. One of the highlights of this chapter is to bring out the application of aerosol science and technology in hospitals from cradle to grave. In this case, the audience can appreciate the difficulties and opportunities, which science and technology can bring to us in the whole life cycle of hospitals.