OBJECTIVES: To perform a 3-year, prospective surveillance program for legionnaires disease (LD) in a large university hospital in Rome, and to assess the usefulness of the hospital water monitoring program in predicting the risk of nosocomial LD. METHODS: Samples from patients with new cases of nosocomial pneumonia were sent for legionella laboratory investigations. Meanwhile, water samples for bacteriological analysis were collected every 6 months from high- and medium-risk hospital wards (10 in total). Legionella pneumophila isolates collected were serotyped and analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. RESULTS: From June 2001 through May 2004, the pneumonia surveillance identified one case of nosocomial LD among 43 cases of nosocomial pneumonia (2.3%). Environmental investigations detected L. pneumophila in 12 (18.7%) of the 64 water samples, of which 50% belonged to serogroup 1. The L. pneumophila count and the percentage of positive locations never exceeded 10(2) colony-forming units/L and 20%, respectively, except when the LD nosocomial case occurred (positive water samples, 40%; L. pneumophila count, <10(2) colony-forming units/L). Genotyping showed 3 prevalent clones of L. pneumophila in the water distribution network, of which one persisted over the 3 years. One clone contained 3 different L. pneumophila serogroups (2, 4, and 6). CONCLUSIONS: The low incidence of nosocomial cases of LD appears to be associated with a low percentage (<20%) of positive water samples per semester and with a low contamination level (<10(2) colony-forming units/L). An infection control system for nosocomial LD should, therefore, be based on both environmental and clinical surveillance, together with the appropriate maintenance of the hospital water distribution system.

Prospective 3-year surveillance for nosocomial and environmental Legionella pneumophila: Implications for infection control / S., Boccia; P., Laurenti; Borella, Paola; U., Moscato; G., Capalbo; A., Cambieri; R., Amore; G., Quaranta; F., Boninti; M., Orsini; G., Branca; G., Fadda; V., Romano Spica; G., Ricciardi. - In: INFECTION CONTROL AND HOSPITAL EPIDEMIOLOGY. - ISSN 0899-823X. - STAMPA. - 27:5(2006), pp. 459-465. [10.1086/503642]

Prospective 3-year surveillance for nosocomial and environmental Legionella pneumophila: Implications for infection control

BORELLA, Paola;
2006

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To perform a 3-year, prospective surveillance program for legionnaires disease (LD) in a large university hospital in Rome, and to assess the usefulness of the hospital water monitoring program in predicting the risk of nosocomial LD. METHODS: Samples from patients with new cases of nosocomial pneumonia were sent for legionella laboratory investigations. Meanwhile, water samples for bacteriological analysis were collected every 6 months from high- and medium-risk hospital wards (10 in total). Legionella pneumophila isolates collected were serotyped and analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. RESULTS: From June 2001 through May 2004, the pneumonia surveillance identified one case of nosocomial LD among 43 cases of nosocomial pneumonia (2.3%). Environmental investigations detected L. pneumophila in 12 (18.7%) of the 64 water samples, of which 50% belonged to serogroup 1. The L. pneumophila count and the percentage of positive locations never exceeded 10(2) colony-forming units/L and 20%, respectively, except when the LD nosocomial case occurred (positive water samples, 40%; L. pneumophila count, <10(2) colony-forming units/L). Genotyping showed 3 prevalent clones of L. pneumophila in the water distribution network, of which one persisted over the 3 years. One clone contained 3 different L. pneumophila serogroups (2, 4, and 6). CONCLUSIONS: The low incidence of nosocomial cases of LD appears to be associated with a low percentage (<20%) of positive water samples per semester and with a low contamination level (<10(2) colony-forming units/L). An infection control system for nosocomial LD should, therefore, be based on both environmental and clinical surveillance, together with the appropriate maintenance of the hospital water distribution system.
2006
27
5
459
465
Prospective 3-year surveillance for nosocomial and environmental Legionella pneumophila: Implications for infection control / S., Boccia; P., Laurenti; Borella, Paola; U., Moscato; G., Capalbo; A., Cambieri; R., Amore; G., Quaranta; F., Boninti; M., Orsini; G., Branca; G., Fadda; V., Romano Spica; G., Ricciardi. - In: INFECTION CONTROL AND HOSPITAL EPIDEMIOLOGY. - ISSN 0899-823X. - STAMPA. - 27:5(2006), pp. 459-465. [10.1086/503642]
S., Boccia; P., Laurenti; Borella, Paola; U., Moscato; G., Capalbo; A., Cambieri; R., Amore; G., Quaranta; F., Boninti; M., Orsini; G., Branca; G., Fa...espandi
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