[Airborne microflora found in some stations of the metro in the Hungarian capital of Budapest (author's transl)].

Abstract

Both the microflora and some physical parameters of the air in three underground railway (metro) stations were analysed. The air samples taken in the first two stations contained considerably more microbes, namely three times as many, than the sample from station No. 3. In the samples from the first two stations both the pathogenic and anthropogenic germs occured more frequently than in the samples from the third station. The normal flora consisted of gram-positive cocci/Streptococci, Micrococci, Sarcina. Roughly 10 per cent of the microbes proved to be spore-formers. Selective investigations led to the detection of Staph. aureus, Enterococci, Haemophilus influenzae, Escherichiae, Klebsiella and Proteus bacteria. The reason why the stations of line 2 were found to be contaminated to a greater degree is probably because of the higher passenger traffic, the smaller space, as well as the stronger airflow due to the artificial ventilation and the piston effect of the trains. The effect of the artificial environmental conditions on the staff of the metro company still needs further investigation. The effect on the passengers is considered to be less pronounced.