Association of Shower Use With Legionnaires' Disease
Possible Role of Amoebae
- Robert F. Breiman, MD;
- Barry S. Fields, PhD;
- Gary N. Sanden, MS;
- LaJean Volmer;
- Arlin Meier;
- John S. Spika, MD
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
Excerpt
OUTBREAKS of legionnaires' disease (LD) have been linked to aerosols from evaporative condensers and cooling towers,1,2 whirlpool spas,3 respiratory therapy equipment,4 and humidifiers.5 An association between shower use and LD has been hypothesized but not epidemiologically demonstrated.6-11 Prevention of LD is limited by a lack of understanding of the ecology of Legionella pneumophila. Monitoring aerosolproducing sites for L pneumophila can be misleading since the bacteria are found often in water sources without a known disease association.12
Factors essential for Legionella multiplication in water are poorly understood, but the bacteria multiply extracellularly on supplemented culture media.13,14 Nutritional requirements of the genus are unlikely to be met in most water sources; however, these bacteria do multiply inside protozoa,15-17 which are common to aquatic environments. Legionella pneumophila grows in water samples with amoebae but not in those without viable amoebae.17 Recognition of the association
Footnotes
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Reprint requests to Respiratory Diseases Branch, Division of Bacterial Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control, Bldg 1, Room 5047, MS C09, Atlanta, GA 30333 (Dr Breiman).
