<it>Legionella </it>species colonization of water distribution systems, pools and air conditioning systems in cruise ships and ferries
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Legionnaires' disease continues to be a public health concern in passenger ships. This study was scheduled in order to investigate <it>Legionella </it>spp. colonization of water distribution systems (WDS), recreation...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Book |
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BMC,
2008-11-01T00:00:00Z.
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| Summary: | <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Legionnaires' disease continues to be a public health concern in passenger ships. This study was scheduled in order to investigate <it>Legionella </it>spp. colonization of water distribution systems (WDS), recreational pools, and air-conditioning systems on board ferries and cruise ships in an attempt to identify risk factors for <it>Legionella </it>spp. colonization associated with ship water systems and water characteristics.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Water systems of 21 ferries and 10 cruise ships including WDS, air conditioning systems and pools were investigated for the presence of <it>Legionella </it>spp.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The 133 samples collected from the 10 cruise ships WDS, air conditioning systems and pools were negative for <it>Legionella </it>spp. Of the 21 ferries WDS examined, 14 (66.7%) were legionellae-positive. A total of 276 samples were collected from WDS and air conditioning systems. <it>Legionella </it>spp. was isolated from 37.8% of the hot water samples and 17.5% of the cold water samples. Of the total 96 positive isolates, 87 (90.6%) were <it>L. pneumophila</it>. <it>Legionella </it>spp. colonization was positively associated with ship age. The temperature of the hot water samples was negatively associated with colonization of <it>L. pneumophila </it>serogroup (sg) 1 and that of <it>L. pneumophila </it>sg 2 to 14. Increases in pH ≥7.8 and total plate count ≥400 CFU/L, correlated positively with the counts of <it>L. pneumophila </it>sg 2 to 14 and <it>Legionella </it>spp. respectively. Free chlorine of ≥0.2 mg/L inhibited colonization of <it>Legionella </it>spp.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>WDS of ferries can be heavily colonized by <it>Legionella </it>spp. and may present a risk of Legionnaires' disease for passengers and crew members. Guidelines and advising of Legionnaires' disease prevention regarding ferries are needed, in particular for operators and crew members.</p> |
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| Item Description: | 10.1186/1471-2458-8-390 1471-2458 |