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.






