Potable water as a source of Legionnaires' disease
K. N. Shands, J. L. Ho, R. D. Meyer, G. W. Gorman, P. H. Edelstein, G. F. Mallison, S. M. Finegold and D. W. Fraser
A three-year epidemic of legionnaires' disease in a hospital was
dramatically curtailed following hyperchlorination of the potable water
supply. The hypothesis that potable water was the source for the outbreak
was further supported by isolation of Legionella pneumophila (the agent of
legionnaires' disease) from the hospital water supply, observation that a
sudden upsurge had occurred in the number of cases following a peculiar
manipulation of the hospital water system, and documentation of a 30-fold
increase in concentration of organisms in the water when this manipulation
was artificially recreated. Thus, potable water may be an important source
of epidemic legionnaires' disease and continuous hyperchlorination a method
of control.
