Introduction:

Legionella pneumophila is one of the main causative agents of community- and hospital-acquired pneumonia. Inhalation of sprays potentially contaminated with the bacterium, due to the colonization of networks and other systems using water, is a hazard to the health of exposed individuals.

Objective:

Evaluate the viability of L. pneumophila in samples of water stored at various time intervals for the microbiological culture diagnosis of Legionella spp.

Methods:

Water samples were artificially contaminated with two strains of L. pneumophila from different serogroups and a mixture of them, for a total of 15 samples. The contaminated vessels were processed at 24 h, 72 h, 7 d, 14 d and 21 d. Microbiological culture was performed in compliance with ISO 11731: 2004 and PNO 03-013: 2015.

Results:

The bacterium was found to be viable in samples stored up to 21 days. The filtration concentration method obtained the greatest amount of the microorganism.

Conclusions:

Storage time of the samples affects the viability of L. pneumophila. The study lays the foundations for further research about the validity of L. pneumophila diagnosis as part of the service offered by the Civil Defense Scientific Research Center in Legionella spp. prevention and control programs for tourist and industrial facilities.

        · resumen en Español     · texto en Español     · Español ( pdf )