Pathogenic amoebae in power-plant cooling lakes. Final report

Technical Report · Mon Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1981

OSTI ID:6290497

Tyndall, R L; Willaert, E; Stevens, A R

Cooling waters and associated algae and sediments from four northern and four southern/western electric power plants were tested for the presence of pathogenic amoebae. Unheated control waters and algae/sediments from four northern and five southern/western sites were also tested. When comparing results from the test versus control sites, a significantly higher proportion (P less than or equal to 0.05) of the samples from the test sites were positive for thermophilic amoeba, thermophilic Naegleria and pathogenic Naegleria. The difference in number of samples positive for thermophilic Naegleria between heated and unheated waters, however, was attributable predominantly to the northern waters and algae/sediments. While two of four northern test sites yielded pathogenic Naegleria, seven of the eight isolates were obtained from one site. Seasonality effects relative to the isolation of the pathogen were also noted at this site. One pathogen was isolated from a southwestern test site. Pathogens were not isolated from any control sites. Some of the pathogenic isolates were analyzed serologically and classified as pathogenic Naegleria fowleri. Salinity, pH, conductivity, and bacteriological profiles did not obviously correlate with the presence or absence of pathogenic Naegleria. While thermal addition was significantly associated with the presence of thermophilic Naegleria (P less than or equal to 0.05), the data implicate other as yet undefined parameters associated with the presence of the pathogenic thermophile. Until further delineation of these parameters is effected, generalizations cannot be made concerning the effect of thermal impact on the growth of pathogenic amoeba in a particular cooling system.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA); Tennessee Univ., Knoxville (USA); Veterans Administration Hospital, Gainesville, FL (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 6290497
• Report Number(s): EPRI-EA-1897; ON: DE81024004
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560202* -- Thermal Effects-- Microorganisms-- (1987)
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ALGAE
AMOEBA
ANIMALS
BACTERIA
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
COOLANTS
DATA
DATA COMPILATION
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRIC POWER
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
INVERTEBRATES
MICROORGANISMS
NUMERICAL DATA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PATHOGENS
PH VALUE
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PLANTS
POLLUTION
POPULATION DYNAMICS
POWER
POWER PLANTS
PRODUCTIVITY
PROTOZOA
SARCODINA
SEASONAL VARIATIONS
SEDIMENTS
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
THERMAL EFFLUENTS
THERMAL POLLUTION
THERMOPHILIC CONDITIONS
VARIATIONS
WATER