Legionella Disinfection of Water Distribution Systems: Principles, Problems, and Practice

As laboratory diagnostic techniques for Legionella become more widespread (especially culture on selective dye-containing media and urinary antigen), more and more hospitals are discovering nosocomial legionellosis. As a result, disinfection directed at hospital water systems has assumed major priority. Many techniques are being applied, but an adequate assessment requires a minimum of three to five years so as to evaluate the long-term success or failure of any disinfection measure in an actual hospital water distribution system; hence, progress in this field has been necessarily slow. Nevertheless, cases of nosocomial legionellosis continue to appear, increasing pressures for hospitals to find solutions.