Hygiena 2013, 58(4):144-151 | DOI: 10.21101/hygiena.a0980

Microbial Findings of Legionellae in Industrial Technologies in the Czech Republic

Markéta Petrovová¹, Vladimír Drašar², Radomír Polcar³

¹ Masarykova univerzita a FN u sv. Anny v Brně, Lékařská fakulta, Klinika pracovního lékařství, Brno

² Zdravotní ústav se sídlem v Ostravě, Národní referenční laboratoř pro legionely, Ostrava

³ FACTOR.E, s.r.o., Brno

Legionnaire's disease is an acute bacterial disease affecting the lungs, with severe course and high mortality rates. In epidemiological terms, the disease originates in communal, travel, hospital, or occupational environments. The most important potential reservoirs of Legionella causing human exposure are cooling towers and evaporative condensers, as well as central heating and cooling systems in modern buildings. The authors present the results of microbiological tests of water for the presence of Legionella in industrial technologies (plastic injection molding, glass and cooling towers) and their potential health effects on exposed workers. Pathogenic and saprophytic Legionella strains were found in all investigated plants. The highest potential health risks are connected to Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1, subgroup A Pontiac. During normal operation the risk of occupational exposure is relatively low, but it significantly increases during repairs and maintenance operations. The environmental Legionella colonization found in the Czech Republic corresponds to sporadic cases of reported occupational cases of legionellosis. Assessment of whether the disease is to be defined as occupational or not has to be based on criteria of epidemiological surveillance using modern diagnostic and identification methods.

Keywords: legionnaires' disease, occupational diseases, exposure to biological factors

Received: February 2012; Accepted: February 5, 2013; Published: December 1, 2013  Show citation