A Legionnaires’ Disease Cluster in a Private Building in Italy

Maria Luisa Ricci, Maria Cristina Rota, Maria Grazia Caporali, Antonietta Girolamo and Maria Scaturro
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Maria Luisa Ricci: Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy
Maria Cristina Rota: Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy
Maria Grazia Caporali: Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy
Antonietta Girolamo: Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy
Maria Scaturro: Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 13, 1-5

Abstract: Legionnaires’ disease (LD) is a severe pneumonia caused by bacteria belonging to the genus Legionella . This is a major public health concern and infections are steadily increasing worldwide. Several sources of infection have been identified, but they have not always been linked to human isolates by molecular match. The well-known Legionella contamination of private homes has rarely been associated with the acquisition of the disease, although some patients never left their homes during the incubation period. This study demonstrated by genomic matching between clinical and environmental Legionella isolates that the source of an LD cluster was a private building. Monoclonal antibodies and sequence-based typing were used to type the isolates, and the results clearly demonstrated the molecular relationship between the strains highlighting the risk of contracting LD at home. To contain this risk, the new European directive on the quality of water intended for human consumption has introduced for the first time Legionella as a microbiological parameter to be investigated in domestic water systems. This should lead to a greater attention to prevention and control measures for domestic Legionella contamination and, consequently, to a possible reduction in community acquired LD cases.

Keywords: Legionella; typing; private homes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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