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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.
Muchhasbeen saidandheardabout
Legionella
during the lastdecades.
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 thequestion…
Let’smeet
“Legionella”
Wikipedia
defines “
Legionella
pneumophila” as a thin, aerobic,
pleomorphic, flagellated, non-spore forming, gram-negative bacterium of
the genus
Legionella
.
CDC
(CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention)statesthat
Legionella
bacteria are foundnaturally in the environment, usually inwater, and that
they grow best in warm water, like the kind found in hot tubs, cooling
towers, hotwater tanks, largeplumbing systems and decorative fountains.
Accordingto
ASHRAE
(AmericanSocietyofHeating,Refrigeratingand
Air-Conditioning Engineers),
Legionella
e are bacteria commonly present
in natural and man-made aquatic environments, with over 40 identified
species, oneofwhich (
L. pneumophila
) appears tobe themost virulent and
is associatedwith approximately90%of cases of Legionellosis.
OSHA
(Occupational Safety andHealthAdministration) 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
