Icicles as carriers of yeast-like fungi potentially pathogenic to human

Most of the area of the globe is characterized by a low temperature, and the ice being formed constitutes a specific habitat for the growth of psychrotolerant microbes. They are accompanied by contaminants dripping from flat surfaces or falling down from the atmosphere. The objective of this study was, therefore, to detect the presence of potentially pathogenic fungi in ice formations found at the height of up to 2 m. The collected ice formations were transported to the laboratory and left for free melting. Yeast-like fungi were isolated with the use of a standard research procedure, typical of diagnostic mycological laboratories. The icicles examined were found to contain a high number of fungi, reaching 15,180 cfu/dm(3) that originated from 12 species belonging to 2 genera: Debaryomyces and Candida. The predominating fungi were these of the genus Candida-constituting as much as 83.33% of the isolates. The study revealed also potential pathogens-Candida krusei, C. tropicalis, and C. utilis. The presence of fungi in the material examined allows ice formations to be treated as a reservoir and a vector of pathogenic factors and a temporary air filter. It additionally enforces the significance of health-promoting education that plays a key role in developing epidemiological awareness of the society.