Author:
Stout J E,Yu V L,Best M G
Abstract
The reservoir for hospital-acquired Legionnaires disease has been shown to be the potable water distribution system. We investigated the influence of the natural microbial population and sediment (scale and organic particulates) found in water systems as growth-promoting factors for Legionella pneumophila. Our in vitro experiments showed that: (i) water from hot-water storage tank readily supported the survival of L. pneumophila, (ii) the concentration of sediment was directly related to the survival of L. pneumophila, (iii) the presence of environmental bacteria improved the survival of L. pneumophila via nutritional symbiosis, (iv) the combination of sediment and environmental bacteria acted synergistically to improve the survival of L. pneumophila, and (v) the role of sediment in this synergistic effect was determined to be nutritional. Sediment was found to stimulate the growth of environmental microflora, which in turn stimulated the growth of L. pneumophila. These findings confirm the empiric observations of the predilection of L. pneumophila for growth in hot-water tanks and its localization to sediment. L. pneumophila occupies an ecological niche within the potable water system, with interrelationships between microflora, sediment, and temperature.
Publisher
American Society for Microbiology
Subject
Ecology,Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology,Food Science,Biotechnology
Reference26 articles.
1. American Public Health Association. 1976. Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater 14th ed. American Public Health Association Inc. Washington D.C.
2. Atlas R. M. and R. Bartha. 1981. Interactions between microorganisms p. 249-283. In Microbial ecology. Addison-Wesley Reading. Mass.
3. .Beam T. R. Jr. D. Moreton T. A. Raab W. Heaslip M. Montes J. Hanrahan M. Best and V. Yu. 1984. Epidemiology and control of Legionellaceae in state developmental centers p. 236-237. In C. Thornsberry A. Balows J. C. Feeley and W. Jakubowski (ed.) Legionella: Proceedings of the 2nd International Symposium. American Society for Microbiology Washington D.C.
4. Best M. V. L. Yu J. Stout A. Goetz R. R. Muder and F. Taylor. 1983. Legionellaceae in the hospital water supplyepidemiological link with disease and evaluation of a method for control of nosocomial Legionnaires' disease and Pittsburgh pneumonia. Lancet ii:307-310.
5. Cyanobacterial stimulation of growth and oxygen uptake by Legionella pneumophila;Bohach G. A.;Appl. Environ. Microbiol.,1982
Cited by
171 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献，注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献，订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献