<i>Legionella </i>Contamination Risk Factors in Non-circulating Hot Spring Water

  • KARASUDANI Tatsuya
    Ehime Prefectural Institute of Public Health and Environmental science
  • KUROKI Toshiro
    Kanagawa Prefectural Institute of Public Health
  • OTANI Katsumi
    Yamagata Prefectural Institute of Public Health
  • YAMAGUCHI Seiichi
    Yamagata Prefectural Murayama Public Health center
  • SASAKI Mie
    Miyagi Prefectural Institute of Public Health and Environment
  • SAITO Shioko
    Akita Prefectural Institute of Public Health
  • FUJITA Masahiro
    Gunma Prefectural Institute of Public Health and Environmental Sciences
  • SUGIYAMA Kanji
    Shizuoka Prefectural Institute of Public Health and Environmental Science
  • NAKAJIMA Hiroshi
    Okayama Prefectural Institute for Environmental Science and Public Health
  • MURAKAMI Koichi
    Fukuoka Institute of Health and Environmental Sciences
  • TAGURI Toshitsugu
    Nagasaki Prefectural Institute for Environmental Research and Public Health
  • KURAMOTO Tsuyoshi
    Kagoshima Prefectural Institute for Environmental Research and Public Health (currently working at Kagoshima Prefectural Ijyuin Public Health center)
  • KURA Fumiaki
    Department of Bacteriology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases
  • YAGITA Kenji
    Department of Parasitology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases
  • IZUMIYAMA Shinji
    Department of Parasitology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases
  • AMEMURA-MAEKAWA Junko
    Department of Bacteriology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases
  • YAMAZAKI Toshio
    Division of Biosafety Control and Research, National Institute of Infectious Diseases
  • AGATA Kunio
    Tsukuba Research Labora tory,AquasCo.,Ltd.
  • INOUYE Hiroo
    Ehime Prefectural Institute of Public Health and Environmental science

Bibliographic Information

Other Title
  • 掛け流し式温泉におけるレジオネラ属菌汚染とリスク因子
  • カケナガシシキ オンセン ニ オケル レジオネラゾクキン オセン ト リスク インシ
  • Legionella contamination risk factors in non-circulating hot spring water

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Description

We examined water from 182 non-circulating hot spring bathing facilities in Japan for possible Legionella occurrence from June 2005 to December 2006, finding Legionella-positive cultures in 119 (29.5%) of 403 samples. Legionellae occurrence was most prevalent in bathtub water (39.4%), followed by storage tank water (23.8%), water from faucets at the bathtub edge (22.3%), and source-spring water (8.3%), indicating no statistically significant difference, in the number of legionellae, having an overall mean of 66 CFU/100mL. The maximum number of legionellae in water increased as water was sampled downstream : 180 CFU/100mL from source spring, 670 from storage tanks, 4,000 from inlet faucets, and 6,800 from bathtubs. The majority 85.7%- of isolated species were identified as L. pneumophila : L. pneumophila serogroup (SG) 1 in 22%, SG 5 in 21%, and SG 6 in 22%of positive samples. Multivariate logistic regression models used to determine the characteristics of facilities and sanitary management associated with Legionella contamination indicated that legionellae was prevalent in bathtub water under conditions where it was isolated from inlet faucet/pouring gate water (odds ratio [OR]=6.98, 95%confidence interval [CI]=2.14 to 22.8). Risk of occurrence was also high when the bathtub volume exceeded 5m3 (OR=2.74, 95%CI=1.28 to 5.89). Legionellae occurrence was significantly reduced when the bathing water pH was lower than 6.0 (OR=0.12, 95%CI=0.02 to 0.63). Similarly, occurrence was rare in inlet faucet water or the upper part of the plumbing system for which pH was lower than 6.0 (OR=0.06, 95%CI=0.01 to 0.48), and when the water temperature was maintained at 55℃or more (OR=0.10, 95%CI=0.01 to 0.77). We also examined the occurrence of amoeba, Mycobacterium spp., Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus in water samples.

Journal

  • Kansenshogaku Zasshi

    Kansenshogaku Zasshi 83 (1), 36-44, 2009

    The Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases

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