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As in any other aspects of our lives, every decision we make brings
inevitable consequences. Whether we decide to take action, delay the
moment of truth, or just completely ignore it.
Much has been said and heard about
Legionella
during the last decades.
Educational seminars, webinars, colorful technical bulletins, warnings,
provoking statistics, threatening advertisement….all coming our way
making us wonder about this curious bacteria: Should I address it? or
Should I ignore it ? THAT is the question…
Let’s meet
“Legionella”
Wikipedia
defines “
Legionella
pneumophila” as a thin, aerobic,
pleomorphic, flagellated, non-spore forming, gram-negative bacterium of
the genus
Legionella
.
CDC
(Centers forDiseaseControl andPrevention) states that
Legionella
bacteria are found naturally in the environment, usually in water, and that
they grow best in warm water, like the kind found in hot tubs, cooling
towers, hot water tanks, large plumbing systems and decorative fountains.
According to
ASHRAE
(AmericanSociety ofHeating, Refrigerating and
Air-Conditioning Engineers),
Legionella
e are bacteria commonly present
in natural and man-made aquatic environments, with over 40 identified
species, one of which (
L. pneumophila
) appears to be the most virulent and
is associated with approximately 90% of cases of Legionellosis.
OSHA
(Occupational Safety and Health Administration) refers to it as
gram-negative rod that exists in a number of distinguishable serogroups,
first identified by the CDC as the cause of an outbreak of pneumonia in
1976. However, OSHA explains that
L. pneumophila
had undoubtedly
