Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Applied and Environmental Microbiology logoLink to Applied and Environmental Microbiology
. 1985 Nov;50(5):1128–1131. doi: 10.1128/aem.50.5.1128-1131.1985

Aerosols containing Legionella pneumophila generated by shower heads and hot-water faucets.

G E Bollin, J F Plouffe, M F Para, B Hackman
PMCID: PMC238711  PMID: 4091548

Abstract

Shower heads and hot-water faucets containing Legionella pneumophila were evaluated for aerosolization of the organism with a multistage cascade impaction air sampler. Air was collected above two shower doors and from the same rooms approximately 3 ft (91 cm) from the shower doors while the hot water was running. Low numbers (3 to 5 CFU/15 ft3 [0.43 m3] of air) of L. pneumophila were recovered above both shower doors, but none was recovered from the air in either room outside the shower door. Approximately 90% (7 of 8 CFU) of the L. pneumophila recovered were trapped in aerosol particles between 1 and 5 micron in diameter. Air was collected 1 to 3 ft (30 to 91 cm) from 14 sinks while the hot water was running. Low numbers (1 to 5 CFU/15 ft3 of air) were recovered from 6 of 19 air samples obtained. Approximately 50% (6 of 13 CFU) of the organisms recovered were trapped in aerosol particles between 1 and 8 microns in diameter. Shower heads and hot-water taps containing L. pneumophila can aerosolize low numbers of the organism during routine use. The aerosol particle size is small enough to penetrate to the lower human respiratory system. Thus, these sites may be implicated as a means of transmission of L. pneumophila from potable water to the patient.

Full text

PDF
1128

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. ANDERSEN A. A. New sampler for the collection, sizing, and enumeration of viable airborne particles. J Bacteriol. 1958 Nov;76(5):471–484. doi: 10.1128/jb.76.5.471-484.1958. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Arnow P. M., Chou T., Weil D., Shapiro E. N., Kretzschmar C. Nosocomial Legionnaires' disease caused by aerosolized tap water from respiratory devices. J Infect Dis. 1982 Oct;146(4):460–467. doi: 10.1093/infdis/146.4.460. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Berendt R. F. Survival of Legionella pneumophila in aerosols: effect of relative humidity. J Infect Dis. 1980 May;141(5):689–689. doi: 10.1093/infdis/141.5.689. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Berendt R. F., Young H. W., Allen R. G., Knutsen G. L. Dose-response of guinea pigs experimentally infected with aerosols of Legionella pneumophila. J Infect Dis. 1980 Feb;141(2):186–192. doi: 10.1093/infdis/141.2.186. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Bopp C. A., Sumner J. W., Morris G. K., Wells J. G. Isolation of Legionella spp. from environmental water samples by low-pH treatment and use of a selective medium. J Clin Microbiol. 1981 Apr;13(4):714–719. doi: 10.1128/jcm.13.4.714-719.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Cherry W. B., Pittman B., Harris P. P., Hebert G. A., Thomason B. M., Thacker L., Weaver R. E. Detection of Legionnaires disease bacteria by direct immunofluorescent staining. J Clin Microbiol. 1978 Sep;8(3):329–338. doi: 10.1128/jcm.8.3.329-338.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Cordes L. G., Wiesenthal A. M., Gorman G. W., Phair J. P., Sommers H. M., Brown A., Yu V. L., Magnussen M. H., Meyer R. D., Wolf J. S. Isolation of Legionella pneumophila from hospital shower heads. Ann Intern Med. 1981 Feb;94(2):195–197. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-94-2-195. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Dondero T. J., Jr, Rendtorff R. C., Mallison G. F., Weeks R. M., Levy J. S., Wong E. W., Schaffner W. An outbreak of Legionnaires' disease associated with a contaminated air-conditioning cooling tower. N Engl J Med. 1980 Feb 14;302(7):365–370. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198002143020703. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Edelstein P. H. Improved semiselective medium for isolation of Legionella pneumophila from contaminated clinical and environmental specimens. J Clin Microbiol. 1981 Sep;14(3):298–303. doi: 10.1128/jcm.14.3.298-303.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Helms C. M., Massanari R. M., Zeitler R., Streed S., Gilchrist M. J., Hall N., Hausler W. J., Jr, Sywassink J., Johnson W., Wintermeyer L. Legionnaires' disease associated with a hospital water system: a cluster of 24 nosocomial cases. Ann Intern Med. 1983 Aug;99(2):172–178. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-99-2-172. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kingston D. Selective media in air sampling: a review. J Appl Bacteriol. 1971 Mar;34(1):221–232. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.1971.tb02280.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Meenhorst P. L., Reingold A. L., Gorman G. W., Feeley J. C., van Cronenburg B. J., Meyer C. L., van Furth R. Legionella pneumonia in guinea pigs exposed to aerosols of concentrated potable water from a hospital with nosocomial Legionnaires' disease. J Infect Dis. 1983 Jan;147(1):129–132. doi: 10.1093/infdis/147.1.129. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Meyer R. D. Legionella infections: a review of five years of research. Rev Infect Dis. 1983 Mar-Apr;5(2):258–278. doi: 10.1093/clinids/5.2.258. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Para M. F., Plouffe J. F. Production of monoclonal antibodies to Legionella pneumophila serogroups 1 and 6. J Clin Microbiol. 1983 Oct;18(4):895–900. doi: 10.1128/jcm.18.4.895-900.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Plouffe J. F., Para M. F., Maher W. E., Hackman B., Webster L. Subtypes of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 associated with different attack rates. Lancet. 1983 Sep 17;2(8351):649–650. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(83)92531-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Shands K. N., Ho J. L., Meyer R. D., Gorman G. W., Edelstein P. H., Mallison G. F., Finegold S. M., Fraser D. W. Potable water as a source of Legionnaires' disease. JAMA. 1985 Mar 8;253(10):1412–1416. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Stout J., Yu V. L., Vickers R. M., Zuravleff J., Best M., Brown A., Yee R. B., Wadowsky R. Ubiquitousness of Legionella pneumophila in the water supply of a hospital with endemic Legionnaires' disease. N Engl J Med. 1982 Feb 25;306(8):466–468. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198202253060807. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Thacker S. B., Bennett J. V., Tsai T. F., Fraser D. W., McDade J. E., Shepard C. C., Williams K. H., Jr, Stuart W. H., Dull H. B., Eickhoff T. C. An outbreak in 1965 of severe respiratory illness caused by the Legionnaires' disease bacterium. J Infect Dis. 1978 Oct;138(4):512–519. doi: 10.1093/infdis/138.4.512. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Tobin J. O., Beare J., Dunnill M. S., Fisher-Hoch S., French M., Mitchell R. G., Morris P. J., Muers M. F. Legionnaires' disease in a transplant unit: isolation of the causative agent from shower baths. Lancet. 1980 Jul 19;2(8186):118–121. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(80)90005-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Zuravleff J. J., Yu V. L., Shonnard J. W., Rihs J. D., Best M. Legionella pneumophila contamination of a hospital humidifier. Demonstration of aerosol transmission and subsequent subclinical infection in exposed guinea pigs. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1983 Oct;128(4):657–661. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1983.128.4.657. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Applied and Environmental Microbiology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES