Legionnaires' Disease Outbreak at a Long-Term Care Facility Caused by a Cooling Tower Using an Automated Disinfection System--Ohio, 2013.
J Environ Health
; 78(5): 8-13, 2015 Dec.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-26738313
ABSTRACT
On July 9, 2013, an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease (LD) was identified at Long-Term Care Facility A in central Ohio. This article describes the investigation of the outbreak and identification of the outbreak source, a cooling tower using an automated biocide delivery system. In total, 39 outbreak LD cases were identified; among these, six patients died. Water samples from a cooling tower were positive for Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1, reactive to monoclonal antibody 2, with matching sequence type to a patient isolate. An electronic control system turned off cooling tower pumps during low-demand periods, preventing delivery of disinfectant by a timed-release system, and leading to amplification of Legionella in the cooling tower. Guidelines for tower maintenance should address optimal disinfection when using automated systems.
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Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Water Microbiology
/
Legionnaires' Disease
/
Disinfection
/
Disease Outbreaks
/
Legionella pneumophila
/
Nursing Homes
Limits:
Aged
/
Aged80
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Country/Region as subject:
America do norte
Language:
En
Journal:
J Environ Health
Year:
2015
Document type:
Article