Research

A selection of links to recent research papers available online and may be free to access. 

The conclusions are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the WMSoc.

Faucet aerator design influences aerosol size distribution and microbial contamination level

Benoit MÈ, Prévost M, Succar A, Charron D, Déziel E, Robert E, Bédard E. Sci Total Environ. 2021 Jun 25;775:145690. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145690. Epub 2021 Feb 6. PMID: 33631571.   Highlights Tap aerators can spread contaminated aerosol particles in the environment. Aerosol particles characteristics and production differ with different types of aerators. Aerator fouling can lead… Read more »

Quantification of Legionella pneumophila by qPCR and culture in tap water with different concentrations of residual disinfectants and heterotrophic bacteria

Donohue MJ. Sci Total Environ. 2021 Jun 20;774:145142. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145142. Epub 2021 Feb 6. PMID: 33610980.   Highlights Culture underestimates L. pneumophiladetection frequency and concentration. Quantitative PCR is more sensitive than culture for L. pneumophiladetection. Free‑chlorine residual is a good indicator of microbiological quality control. Monochloramine residual is not a good indicator of microbiological quality control. For chloramine water,… Read more »

Legionella and Biofilms-Integrated Surveillance to Bridge Science and Real-Field Demands

Pereira A, Silva AR, Melo LF. Microorganisms. 2021 Jun 3;9(6):1212. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms9061212. PMID: 34205095; PMCID: PMC8228026.   Highlights Legionella control of water systems is a multivariable problem. It is unfeasible to assume that Legionella might be eradicated from water systems – prevention is key. Field-based trials are an important component of Legionella study but often… Read more »

Improvements to the Success of Outbreak Investigations of Legionnaires’ Disease: 40 Years of Testing and Investigation in New York State

Schoonmaker-Bopp D, Nazarian E, Dziewulski D, Clement E, Baker DJ, Dickinson MC, Saylors A, Codru N, Thompson L, Lapierre P, Dumas N, Limberger R, Musser KA. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2021 Jun 4:AEM0058021. doi: 10.1128/AEM.00580-21. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34085864.   Highlights Testing and investigation methods used in New York State (NYS) over the past… Read more »

Legionnaires’ disease in dental offices: quantifying aerosol risks to dental workers and patients

Hamilton KA, Kuppravalli A, Heida A, Joshi S, Haas CN, Verhougstraete M, Gerrity D. J Occup Environ Hyg. 2021 Jun 23:1-21. doi: 10.1080/15459624.2021.1939878. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34161202.   Highlights Dental offices pose a potential risk for inhalation or aspiration of pneumophila due to the high surface area to volume ratio of dental unit… Read more »

Implications of Climate Change: How Does Increased Water Temperature Influence Biofilm and Water Quality of Chlorinated Drinking Water Distribution Systems?

Calero Preciado C, Boxall J, Soria-Carrasco V, Martínez S, Douterelo I. Front Microbiol. 2021 Jun 8;12:658927. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.658927. PMID: 34168627; PMCID: PMC8217620.   Highlights Higher temperatures increased biofilm formation on High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) pipes in a chlorinated drinking water distribution system (DWDS). Material accumulation was accelerated by temperature but this did not effect biofilm strength… Read more »

Dynamics of Legionella Community Interactions in Response to Temperature and Disinfection Treatment: 7 Years of Investigation

Girolamini L, Salaris S, Pascale MR, Mazzotta M, Cristino S. Microb Ecol. 2021 Jun 5. doi: 10.1007/s00248-021-01778-9. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34091718.   Highlights The Legionella community complex and attention needs to be given to lesser known Legionella The most prevalent species were pneumophila serogroup 1 (78.53%), followed by L. anisa (54.45%) and L…. Read more »

Ozonized Water in Microbial Control: Analysis of the Stability, In Vitro Biocidal Potential, and Cytotoxicity

Santos LMCD, Silva ESD, Oliveira FO, Rodrigues LAP, Neves PRF, Meira CS, Moreira GAF, Lobato GM, Nascimento C, Gerhardt M, Lessa AS, Mascarenhas LAB, Machado BAS. Biology (Basel). 2021 Jun 12;10(6):525. doi: 10.3390/biology10060525. PMID: 34204772; PMCID: PMC8231602.   Highlights Ozonized water is characterized as a potential antimicrobial agent O3concentration increases according to the temperature variation… Read more »

Characterizing the premise plumbing microbiome in both water and biofilms of a 50-year-old building

Huang CK, Weerasekara A, Bond PL, Weynberg KD, Guo J. Sci Total Environ. 2021 Jul 22;798:149225. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149225. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34340073.   Highlights The premise plumbing microbiome of a 50-year-old university building was characterized. Biofilms were dominated with biofilm-formers and emerging opportunistic pathogens (OPs). Legionellaspp. was used as a model OP to… Read more »

Legionnaires’ Disease

Brady MF, Sundareshan V. 2021 Jul 10. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jan–. PMID: 28613558. (Book)   Excerpt Legionnaires’ disease is caused by Legionella pneumophila. Pontiac fever refers to a benign, self-limited, acute febrile illness which is linked serologically to L pneumophila. L pneumophila causes pneumonia and should be considered as a pathogen… Read more »

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