Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-8mjnm Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-28T16:07:34.368Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Correlation Between Legionella Contamination in Water and Surrounding Air

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 June 2016

Paolo Crimi*
Affiliation:
Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
Gianni Macrina
Affiliation:
Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
Antonio Grieco
Affiliation:
Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
Carola Tinteri
Affiliation:
Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
Laura Copello
Affiliation:
Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
Daniela Rebora
Affiliation:
Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
Angelo Galli
Affiliation:
Department of Burn Care, S. Martino Hospital, Genoa, Italy
Rolando Rizzetto
Affiliation:
Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
*
Department of Health Sciences, Via Pastore 1, 16132 Genoa, Italy (paolo.crimi@hsanmartino.liguria.it)

Abstract

We evaluated Legionella pneumophila contamination of water and surrounding air in a burn care department equipped with bathtubs. In water, the bacterium always aerosolized, but in surrounding air, it diluted itself to such a point that it became undetectable at 1 m or more from the source of emission, which indicated that patients were at low risk of inhaling a dangerous quantity of the microbe.

Type
Concise Communications
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Gjenero-Margan, I, Drazenovic, V, Vrbica, J, Vjerda, R, Aleraj, B, Borcic, B. An epidemic of legionnaires' disease in a hotel. Lijec Vjesn 1989; 111:8184.Google ScholarPubMed
2. Blatt, SP, Parkinson, MD, Pace, E, et al. Nosocomial legionnaires' disease: aspiration as a primary mode of disease acquisition. Am J Med 1993; 95:1622.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3. Joseph, C, Morgan, D, Birtles, R, et al. An international investigation of an outbreak of legionnaires disease among UK and French tourists. Eur J Epidemiol 1996; 12:215219.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4. Marston, BJ, Lipman, HB, Breiman, RF. Surveillance for legionnaires' disease: risk factors for morbidity and mortality. Arch Intern Med 1994; 154:24172422.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5. Demling, RH. Burns. N Engl J Med 1985; 313:13891398.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6. Wakami, S, Harada, T, Muraoka, M, Ishii, M. Superiority of water application to water sealing in burn wound healing. Osaka City Med J 2004; 50:3945.Google ScholarPubMed
7. Staley, M, Richard, R. Management of the acute burn wound: an overview. Adv Wound Care 1997; 10:3944.Google ScholarPubMed
8. Thomson, PD, Bowden, ML, McDonald, K, Smith, DJ Jr, Prasad, JK. A survey of burn hydrotherapy in the United States. J Burn Care Rehabil 1990; 11:151155.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9. Dennis, PJ, Bartlett, CL, Wright, AE. Comparison of isolation methods for Legionella spp. In: Thornsbury, C, et al. eds. Legionella: Proceedings of the Second International Symposium. Washington, DC: American Society of Microbiology; 1984:294296.Google Scholar
10. Dennis, PJ. Isolation of Legionellae from environmental specimens. In: Harrison, TG, Taylor, AG, eds. A Laboratory Manual for Legionella. Chichester, England: John Wiley & Son; 1988.Google Scholar
11. American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRACE). Minimizing the Risk of Legionellosis Associated With Building Water Systems: Guideline 12. Atlanta, GA: ASHRACE; 2000.Google Scholar
12. Tablan, OC, Anderson, LJ, Besser, R, Bridges, C, Hajjeh, R. Guidelines for preventing health-care-associated pneumonia, 2003: recommendations of CDC and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee. MMWR Recomm Rep 2004; 53:136.Google ScholarPubMed
13. Department of Human Services, Victoria, Melbourne, Australia. Guidelines for the Control of Legionnaire's Disease. Melbourne, Australia: Department of Human Services; 1999.Google Scholar
14. Conseil Superieur d'Hygiene Publique de France. Gestion du risque lié aux légionelles. 2001. Available at: http://www.sante.gouv.fr. Accessed September 2, 2005.Google Scholar
15. Conferenza permanente per i rapporti tra lo Stato, le Regioni e le province autonome di Trento e Bolzano. Linee guida per la prevenzione e il controllo della legionellosi. Gazzetta Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana. May 5, 2000:103.Google Scholar
16. Health and Safety Commission. Legionnaires Disease: the Control Legionella Bacteria in Water Systems: Approved Code of Practice and Guidance L8. Suffolk, England: HSE Books; 2000.Google Scholar
17. Fiore, AE, Nuorti, JP, Levine, OS, et al. Epidemic Legionnaires' disease two decades later: old sources, new diagnostic methods. Clin Infect Dis 1998; 26:426433.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18. Lepine, LA, Jernigan, DB, Butler, JC, et al. A recurrent outbreak of nosocomial legionnaires' disease detected by urinary antigen testing: evidence for long-term colonization of a hospital plumbing system. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 1998; 19:905910.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19. O'Brien, SJ, Bhopal, RS. Legionnaires' disease: the infective dose paradox. Lancet 1993; 342:56.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20. Yu, VL. Could aspiration be the major mode of transmission for Legionella? Am J Med 1993; 95:1315.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed