Legionella: could this potentially deadly bacteria be lurking in your facility's water distribution system?

Legionella: could this potentially deadly bacteria be lurking in your facility's water distribution system?

Collection:
Health Policy and Services Research
Series Title(s):
Pennsylvania patient safety advisory
Author(s):
Roberts, Terri Lee, author
Stout, Janet E., author
Contributor(s):
Pennsylvania. Patient Safety Authority, issuing body.
ECRI (Organization), issuing body.
Institute for Safe Medication Practices, issuing body.
Publication:
[Harrisburg, Pa.] : Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority, September 2017
Language(s):
English
Format:
Text
Subject(s):
Cross Infection -- prevention & control
Health Facilities
Legionnaires' Disease -- prevention & control
Water Microbiology
Water Supply
Pennsylvania
United States
Genre(s):
Technical Report
Abstract:
Legionnaires' disease is a serious, sometimes lethal pneumonia. The name of this illness originated from an outbreak of severe pneumonia among attendees at an American Legion convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1976. The Pennsylvania Department of Health reports one of the highest annual incidence rates by state. Numerous healthcare facilities have reported outbreaks of healthcare-acquired legionnaires' disease, with transmission consistently linked to the hot water distribution system. Preventing healthcare-acquired legionnaires' disease depends upon identifying possible sources where Legionella growth could occur and instituting control measures. Health departments and public agencies have issued infection prevention guidelines to prevent outbreaks. Proactive culturing for Legionella in the hot water distribution system before cases of healthcare-acquired legionnaires' disease are discovered is an evidence-based method of prevention. Superheating and flushing or hyperchlorinating the hot water distribution system are short-term approaches to terminate an outbreak. Long-term systemic water treatment with copper-silver ionization, chlorine dioxide, or monochloramine has also been effective in controlling Legionella.
Copyright:
Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY-NC-DC license. (More information)
Extent:
1 online resource (1 PDF file (10 pages))
Illustrations:
Illustrations
NLM Unique ID:
101715819 (See catalog record)
Permanent Link:
http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101715819