scholarly journals The Impact of Storms on Legionella pneumophila in Cooling Tower Water, Implications for Human Health

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin L. Brigmon ◽  
Charles E. Turick ◽  
Anna S. Knox ◽  
Courtney E. Burckhalter
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Legionella Pneumophila ◽  
Count Data ◽  
Distribution Systems ◽  
Cooling Tower ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
The Other ◽  
Cooling Towers ◽  
Legionnaires Disease ◽  
The Impact

At the U.S. Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS) in Aiken, SC, cooling tower water is routinely monitored for Legionella pneumophila concentrations using a direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) technique. Historically, 25–30 operating SRS cooling towers have varying concentrations of Legionella in all seasons of the year, with patterns that are unpredictable. Legionellosis, or Legionnaires’ disease (LD), is a pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria that thrive both in man-made water distribution systems and natural surface waters including lakes, streams, and wet soil. Legionnaires’ disease is typically contracted by inhaling L. pneumophila, most often in aerosolized mists that contain the bacteria. At the SRS, L. pneumophila is typically found in cooling towers ranging from non-detectable up to 108 cells/L in cooling tower water systems. Extreme weather conditions contributed to elevations in L. pneumophila to 107–108 cells/L in SRS cooling tower water systems in July–August 2017. L. pneumophila concentrations in Cooling Tower 785-A/2A located in SRS A-Area, stayed in the 108 cells/L range despite biocide addition. During this time, other SRS cooling towers did not demonstrate this L. pneumophila increase. No significant difference was observed in the mean L. pneumophila mean concentrations for the towers (p < 0.05). There was a significant variance observed in the 285-2A/A Tower L. pneumophila results (p < 0.05). Looking to see if we could find “effects” led to model development by analyzing 13 months of water chemistry and microbial data for the main factors influencing the L. pneumophila concentrations in five cooling towers for this year. It indicated chlorine and dissolved oxygen had a significant impact (p < 0.0002) on cooling tower 785A/2A. Thus, while the variation in the log count data for the A-area tower is statistically greater than that of the other four towers, the average of the log count data for the A-Area tower was in line with that of the other towers. It was also observed that the location of 785A/2A and basin resulted in more debris entering the system during storm events. Our results suggest that future analyses should evaluate the impact of environmental conditions and cooling tower design on L. pneumophila water concentrations and human health.

scholarly journals Distribution of Sequence-Based Types of Legionella pneumophila Serogroup 1 Strains Isolated from Cooling Towers, Hot Springs, and Potable Water Systems in China

2014 ◽  
Vol 80 (7) ◽  
pp. 2150-2157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tian Qin ◽  
Haijian Zhou ◽  
Hongyu Ren ◽  
Hong Guan ◽  
Machao Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Legionella Pneumophila ◽  
Potable Water ◽  
Hot Springs ◽  
Cooling Tower ◽  
Hot Spring ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Cooling Towers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Legionnaires Disease

ABSTRACTLegionella pneumophilaserogroup 1 causes Legionnaires' disease. Water systems contaminated withLegionellaare the implicated sources of Legionnaires' disease. This study analyzedL. pneumophilaserogroup 1 strains in China using sequence-based typing. Strains were isolated from cooling towers (n= 96), hot springs (n= 42), and potable water systems (n= 26). Isolates from cooling towers, hot springs, and potable water systems were divided into 25 sequence types (STs; index of discrimination [IOD], 0.711), 19 STs (IOD, 0.934), and 3 STs (IOD, 0.151), respectively. The genetic variation among the potable water isolates was lower than that among cooling tower and hot spring isolates. ST1 was the predominant type, accounting for 49.4% of analyzed strains (n= 81), followed by ST154. With the exception of two strains, all potable water isolates (92.3%) belonged to ST1. In contrast, 53.1% (51/96) and only 14.3% (6/42) of cooling tower and hot spring, respectively, isolates belonged to ST1. There were differences in the distributions of clone groups among the water sources. The comparisons amongL. pneumophilastrains isolated in China, Japan, and South Korea revealed that similar clones (ST1 complex and ST154 complex) exist in these countries. In conclusion, in China, STs had several unique allelic profiles, and ST1 was the most prevalent sequence type of environmentalL. pneumophilaserogroup 1 isolates, similar to its prevalence in Japan and South Korea.

scholarly journals Community outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Vic-Gurb, Spain in October and November 2005

2007 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 5-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
M R Sala ◽  
C Arias ◽  
J M Oliva ◽  
A Pedrol ◽  
P Roura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Region ◽  
Legionella Pneumophila ◽  
Cooling Tower ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
High Humidity ◽  
Cooling Towers ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Environmental Investigation ◽  
Flat Terrain ◽  
Legionnaires Disease

This paper reports the investigation of a community-acquired outbreak of Legionnaires'; disease in the municipalities of Vic and Gurb (Central Region of Catalonia, Spain). There were 55 cases reported in October and November 2005. An epidemiological and environmental investigation was undertaken. Thirty-five case patients (64%) lived in Vic or Gurb, while 36% had visited or worked in Vic or Gurb during the 10 days before onset of symptoms, but no commonly frequented building could be identified. Water probes for culture were obtained from 30 cooling towers. In five cooling towers of two industrial settings in Gurb (plants A and B), Legionella pneumophila (Lp) serogroup 1 was present. Two Lp-1 strains were recovered from cooling towers in plants A and B. The Lp-1 strain from plant A showed a PGFE profile identical with those obtained from three patients. The exposure to Legionella pneumophila apparently occurred in a large area, since 43 of the 55 cases lived, visited or worked within a distance of 1,800 m from plant A, and six cases in a distance between 2,500 and 3,400 m. The inspections of cooling towers in plant A revealed inadequate disinfectant doses of biocide, non-existent maintenance records on weekends and wrong sample points for routine microbial check-ups. Weather conditions in October 2005 template temperature and high humidity (wind conditions are unappreciable) could have been favourable factors in this outbreak together with the flat terrain of Gurb and Vic area, explaining the extensive horizontal airborne dissemination of contaminated aerosols. The outbreak could have been prevented by proper and correct maintenance of the cooling tower at plant A.

scholarly journals Legionella longbeachaedetected in an industrial cooling tower linked to a legionellosis outbreak, New Zealand, 2015; possible waterborne transmission?

2017 ◽  
Vol 145 (11) ◽  
pp. 2382-2389 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. N. THORNLEY ◽  
D. J. HARTE ◽  
R. P. WEIR ◽  
L. J. ALLEN ◽  
K. J. KNIGHTBRIDGE ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Legionella Pneumophila ◽  
Cooling Tower ◽  
Industrial Site ◽  
Cooling Towers ◽  
Environmental Isolates ◽  
Routine Monitoring ◽  
Waterborne Transmission ◽  
Pontiac Fever ◽  
Legionnaires Disease ◽  
And Control

SUMMARYA legionellosis outbreak at an industrial site was investigated to identify and control the source. Cases were identified from disease notifications, workplace illness records, and from clinicians. Cases were interviewed for symptoms and risk factors and tested for legionellosis. Implicated environmental sources were sampled and tested for legionella. We identified six cases with Legionnaires’ disease and seven with Pontiac fever; all had been exposed to aerosols from the cooling towers on the site. Nine cases had evidence of infection with eitherLegionella pneumophilaserogroup (sg) 1 orLegionella longbeachaesg1; these organisms were also isolated from the cooling towers. There was 100% DNA sequence homology between cooling tower and clinical isolates ofL. pneumophilasg1 using sequence-based typing analysis; no clinicalL. longbeachaeisolates were available to compare with environmental isolates. Routine monitoring of the towers prior to the outbreak failed to detect any legionella. Data from this outbreak indicate thatL. pneumophilasg1 transmission occurred from the cooling towers; in addition,L. longbeachaetransmission was suggested but remains unproven.L. longbeachaedetection in cooling towers has not been previously reported in association with legionellosis outbreaks. Waterborne transmission should not be discounted in investigations for the source ofL. longbeachaeinfection.

scholarly journals Highlighting the Potency of Biosurfactants Produced by Pseudomonas Strains as Anti-Legionella Agents

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clémence Loiseau ◽  
Emilie Portier ◽  
Marie-Hélène Corre ◽  
Margot Schlusselhuber ◽  
Ségolène Depayras ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Legionella Pneumophila ◽  
Close Association ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Antagonistic Activity ◽  
Reverse Phase Hplc ◽  
Reverse Phase ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Legionnaires Disease ◽  
Culture Supernatants ◽  
Multispecies Biofilms

Legionella pneumophila, the causative agent of Legionnaires’ disease, is a waterborne bacterium mainly found in man-made water systems in close association with free-living amoebae and multispecies biofilms. Pseudomonas strains, originating from various environments including freshwater systems or isolated from hospitalized patients, were tested for their antagonistic activity towards L. pneumophila. A high amount of tested strains was thus found to be active. This antibacterial activity was correlated to the presence of tensioactive agents in culture supernatants. As Pseudomonas strains were known to produce biosurfactants, these compounds were specifically extracted and purified from active strains and further characterized using reverse-phase HPLC and mass spectrometry methods. Finally, all biosurfactants tested (lipopeptides and rhamnolipids) were found active and this activity was shown to be higher towards Legionella strains compared to various other bacteria. Therefore, described biosurfactants are potent anti-Legionella agents that could be used in the water treatment industry although tests are needed to evaluate how effective they would be under field conditions.

Computational framework for evaluating risk trade-offs in costs associated with Legionnaires’ Disease risk, energy, and scalding risk for hospital hot water systems

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley Heida ◽  
Alexis Mraz ◽  
Mark Hamilton ◽  
Mark Weir ◽  
Kerry A Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Legionella Pneumophila ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Febrile Illness ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Computational Framework ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Pontiac Fever ◽  
Legionnaires Disease

Legionella pneumophila are bacteria that when inhaled cause Legionnaires’ Disease (LD) and febrile illness Pontiac Fever. As of 2014, LD is the most frequent cause of waterborne disease outbreaks due...

scholarly journals A cluster of Legionnaires' disease in Belgium linked to a cooling tower, August–September 2016: practical approach and challenges

2019 ◽  
Vol 147 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Hammami ◽  
V. Laisnez ◽  
I. Wybo ◽  
D. Uvijn ◽  
C. Broucke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Legionella Pneumophila ◽  
Cooling Tower ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Cluster Management ◽  
Respiratory Sample ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Legionnaires Disease ◽  
Environmental Sample Analysis

Abstract A cluster of Legionnaires' disease (LD) with 10 confirmed, three probable and four possible cases occurred in August and September 2016 in Dendermonde, Belgium. The incidence in the district was 7 cases/100 000 population, exceeding the maximum annual incidence in the previous 5 years of 1.5/100 000. Epidemiological, environmental and geographical investigations identified a cooling tower (CT) as the most likely source. The case risk around the tower decreased with increasing distance and was highest within 5 km. Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1, ST48, was identified in a human respiratory sample but could not be matched with the environmental results. Public health authorities imposed measures to control the contamination of the CT and organised follow-up sampling. We identified obstacles encountered during the cluster investigation and formulated recommendations for improved LD cluster management, including faster coordination of teams through the outbreak control team, improved communication about clinical and environmental sample analysis, more detailed documentation of potential exposures obtained through the case questionnaire and earlier use of a geographical information tool to compare potential sources and for hypothesis generation.

scholarly journals Legionella pneumophila and Protozoan Hosts: Implications for the Control of Hospital and Potable Water Systems

Pathogens ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Atif Nisar ◽  
Kirstin E. Ross ◽  
Melissa H. Brown ◽  
Richard Bentham ◽  
Harriet Whiley
Keyword(s):  
Legionella Pneumophila ◽  
Distribution Systems ◽  
Water Distribution ◽  
Potable Water ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Water Disinfection ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Waterborne Pathogen ◽  
Microbial Biofilms ◽  
Pontiac Fever

Legionella pneumophila is an opportunistic waterborne pathogen of public health concern. It is the causative agent of Legionnaires’ disease (LD) and Pontiac fever and is ubiquitous in manufactured water systems, where protozoan hosts and complex microbial communities provide protection from disinfection procedures. This review collates the literature describing interactions between L. pneumophila and protozoan hosts in hospital and municipal potable water distribution systems. The effectiveness of currently available water disinfection protocols to control L. pneumophila and its protozoan hosts is explored. The studies identified in this systematic literature review demonstrated the failure of common disinfection procedures to achieve long term elimination of L. pneumophila and protozoan hosts from potable water. It has been demonstrated that protozoan hosts facilitate the intracellular replication and packaging of viable L. pneumophila in infectious vesicles; whereas, cyst-forming protozoans provide protection from prolonged environmental stress. Disinfection procedures and protozoan hosts also facilitate biogenesis of viable but non-culturable (VBNC) L. pneumophila which have been shown to be highly resistant to many water disinfection protocols. In conclusion, a better understanding of L. pneumophila-protozoan interactions and the structure of complex microbial biofilms is required for the improved management of L. pneumophila and the prevention of LD.

scholarly journals Legionnaires' Disease - Results of a Multicenter Canadian Study

2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 154-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas J Marrie ◽  
Emidio de Carolis ◽  
Victor L Yu ◽  
Janet Stout ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Legionella Pneumophila ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Community Acquired Pneumonia ◽  
The Other ◽  
Urinary Antigen ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Legionnaires Disease ◽  
Canadian Provinces ◽  
A Prospective Study

BACKGROUND: There has never been a cross-Canada surveillance project to determine the rate ofLegionellaspecies as a cause of community-acquired pneumonia requiring hospitalization and to determine whether there are any regional differences in the rates of Legionnaires' disease in Canada. Anecdotally, Legionnaires' disease is thought to be uncommon in Western Canada.METHODS: From January, 1996 through to October 31, 1997, a prospective study of the etiology of community acquired pneumonia requiring admission to 15 tertiary care hospitals in eight Canadian provinces was conducted. A urine sample from each patient was tested forLegionella pneumophilaserogroup 1 antigen using a commercially available ELISA assay. A culture of sputum or other respiratory specimens for Legionellaceae was carried out at the discretion of the attending physician. Two hundred thirty-four patients had acute and 6-week convalescent serum samples tested for antibodies toL pneumophilaserogroups 1 through 6 using an ELISA method.RESULTS: 28 of the 850 patients (3.2%) had Legionnaires' disease; 18 of 823 (2.1%) were positive forL pneumophilaserogroup 1 by urinary antigen testing. The rate of Legionnaires' disease, based on urinary antigen, at the Halifax site was higher than that at the other sites (seven of 163 patients versus 11 of 660 [P=0.04]). Of the 28 cases of Legionnaires' disease identified using all methods, 11 of 277 patients (3.9%) were enrolled from Western provinces versus 17 of 573 patients (2.9%) from Eastern provinces (P=nonsignificant).CONCLUSIONS: Legionnaires' disease is just as common in Western as in Eastern Canada.L pneumophilaserogroup 1 may be more common in Halifax than at the other sites studied.

scholarly journals The Legionella pneumophila Metaeffector Lpg2505 (MesI) Regulates SidI-Mediated Translation Inhibition and Novel Glycosyl Hydrolase Activity

2020 ◽  
Vol 88 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley M. Joseph ◽  
Adrienne E. Pohl ◽  
Theodore J. Ball ◽  
Troy G. Abram ◽  
David K. Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Legionella Pneumophila ◽  
Glycosyl Hydrolase ◽  
Protein Translation ◽  
Effector Proteins ◽  
Hydrolase Activity ◽  
Intracellular Replication ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Translation Inhibition ◽  
Legionnaires Disease ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT Legionella pneumophila, the etiological agent of Legionnaires’ disease, employs an arsenal of hundreds of Dot/Icm-translocated effector proteins to facilitate replication within eukaryotic phagocytes. Several effectors, called metaeffectors, function to regulate the activity of other Dot/Icm-translocated effectors during infection. The metaeffector Lpg2505 is essential for L. pneumophila intracellular replication only when its cognate effector, SidI, is present. SidI is a cytotoxic effector that interacts with the host translation factor eEF1A and potently inhibits eukaryotic protein translation by an unknown mechanism. Here, we evaluated the impact of Lpg2505 on SidI-mediated phenotypes and investigated the mechanism of SidI function. We determined that Lpg2505 binds with nanomolar affinity to SidI and suppresses SidI-mediated inhibition of protein translation. SidI binding to eEF1A and Lpg2505 is not mutually exclusive, and the proteins bind distinct regions of SidI. We also discovered that SidI possesses GDP-dependent glycosyl hydrolase activity and that this activity is regulated by Lpg2505. We have therefore renamed Lpg2505 MesI (metaeffector of SidI). This work reveals novel enzymatic activity for SidI and provides insight into how intracellular replication of L. pneumophila is regulated by a metaeffector.

scholarly journals Legionnaires' disease and the sick-building syndrome

1989 ◽  
Vol 103 (2) ◽  
pp. 285-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. O'Mahony ◽  
A. Lakhani ◽  
A. Stephens ◽  
J. G. Wallace ◽  
E. R. Youngs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Legionella Pneumophila ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Cooling Tower ◽  
Case Control Study ◽  
Sick Building Syndrome ◽  
Air Conditioning System ◽  
Sick Building ◽  
Air Intake ◽  
Legionnaires Disease ◽  
Control Study

SUMMARYIn October 1985, six cases of legionnaires' disease were associated with a police headquarters building. Four were amongst staff who worked in or visited the communications wing of the headquarters and two cases occurred in the local community. A case-control study implicated the operations room of the communications wing as the main area associated with infection. This wing was air-conditioned and smoke tracer studies showed that drift from the exhaust as well as from the base of the cooling tower entered the main air-intake which serviced the air-conditioning system.Legionella pneumophilaserogroup 1 subgroup pontiac was isolated from water and sludge in the cooling tower pond. Contaminated drift from the top of the cooling tower was probably responsible for the two community cases. An additional discovery was that symptoms suggestive of the sick-building syndrome were associated with working in this wing.

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