Pseudoepidemic of Aspergillus niger infections traced to specimen contamination in the microbiology laboratory

We report a pseudo-outbreak of Aspergillus niger that followed building con struction in our clinical microbiology laboratory, Because outbreaks of inv asive aspergillosis have been linked to hospital construction, strategies t o minimize dust in patient care areas are common practise. We illustrate th at the impact of false-positive cultures on patient care should compel labo ratories to prevent specimen contamination during construction.