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of specialists) was to gather, in a pioneer form, the different aspects and
approaches of Legionella and its associated illnesses (Legionnaires’ Disease
and Pontiac Fever). We have different professionals writing about their
perspectives and experiences on the topic: academic researchers, jurists,
risk assessors, lawyers, microbiologists, doctors, engineers, among others.
Another big contribution is the fact that most of the professionals
involved are Brazilians, which shows that the concern with Legionella is
not just a restricted reality for Europe and the United States. Brazil has
indeed many professionals that deal with the subject and even without a big
spotlight they are gaining more visibility each year.
The book presents some overviews on questions brought up by
Legionella. First of all, an introductory view is provided with a text by
my own authorship, followed by a text written by researches from the
University of São Paulo, Dario Zomboni and Juliana Hori and later on by
Andre Castilho, from the Adolfo Lutz Institute.
We then follow with texts focused on clinical aspects and diagnosis,
with the participation of physicians, (Stefan Ujvari, Viviani Ferreira
and Szymon Gartenkraut) that finishes with a focus on the interaction
between Legionnaires’ Disease and food safety surveillance (by Andrea
Boanova). The following are a numerous of texts that focus on buildings as
environment, which can influence the risk of amplification and spread of
Legionella. We have the participation of William McCoy, and also Cecilia
Taborello about the HACCP as a method of management of water quality
and risks in building systems; Leonardo Cozac about climate systems; Paulo
Mancio about hotel experiences in mitigating risks of Legionella; and four
more experts (Felipe Queiroz Coelho, Manuel Carlos Martins, Felipe Faria
e Cesar Ruiz) that talk about the relationship between sustainable buildings
