Papagianeli SD, Aspridou Z, Didos S, Chochlakis D, Psaroulaki A, Koutsoumanis K. Dynamic modelling of Legionella pneumophila thermal inactivation in water. Water Res. 2021 Feb 15;190:116743.
Highlights
- A predictive mathematical model describing the effect of temperature on the inactivation of Legionella pneumophila in water was developed.
- Thermal inactivation of L. pneumophila was monitored under isothermal conditions (51 – 61°C).
- The developed model was further validated under dynamic temperature conditions mimicking various conditions of water thermal disinfection in plumbing systems.
- The results indicated that the model can satisfactorily predict thermal inactivation of the pathogen at dynamic temperature environments and effectively translate water temperature profiles to cell number reduction.
- The application of the model in combination with effective temperature monitoring could provide the basis of an integrated preventive approach for the effective control of L. pneumophila in plumbing systems.
Hot Water Temperature | Log Reduction of Legionella pneumophila | Length of Exposure (minutes) |
51 oC | 1.6 | 35 |
53 oC | 3.6 | 35 |
55 oC | 5.4 | 25 |
57 oC | 6.4 | 12 |
59 oC | 6.6 | 5 |
61 oC | 6.0 | 2 |
Table adapted from Papagianeli et al., 2021.