Concentration, serotypic profiles, and infectivity of Legionnaires' Disease bacteria populations in cooling towers
At the Philadelphia American Legion Convention in 1976 nearly two hundred people developed pulmonary infection. Of these, twenty-eight died. The causative bacterial agent was subsequently isolated and identified as a previously undiscovered human pathogen, that is, Legionnaires' Disease Bacterium (LDB). Currently it is estimated that over one hundred thousand cases of Legionella occur annually. Cooling towers have been shown to be the source of LDB in some of the outbreaks. Ecological information indicates that the bacteria are present in many natural waters. Moreover, there is strong evidence that algal products can stimulate the growth of LDB. Because cooling tower environments may be conducive for growth and/or dispersal of LDB, a survey of both industrial and air-conditioning cooling towers for the presence of LDB was undertaken.
- Research Organization:
- Tennessee Univ., Knoxville (USA). Dept. of Zoology and Entomology; Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 6381474
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-820220-2; ON: DE83007511
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: February session of the Cooling Tower Institute, Houston, TX, USA, 1 Feb 1982; Other Information: Portions are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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