<i>Legionella</i> Occurrence beyond Cooling Towers and Premise Plumbing

<i>Legionella</i> is an environmental pathogen that is responsible for respiratory disease and is a common causative agent of water-related outbreaks. Due to their ability to survive in a broad range of environments, transmission of legionellosis is possible from a variety of sources. Un...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: David Otto Schwake, Absar Alum, Morteza Abbaszadegan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-12-01
Series:Microorganisms
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/9/12/2543
Description
Summary:<i>Legionella</i> is an environmental pathogen that is responsible for respiratory disease and is a common causative agent of water-related outbreaks. Due to their ability to survive in a broad range of environments, transmission of legionellosis is possible from a variety of sources. Unfortunately, a disproportionate amount of research that is devoted to studying the occurrence of <i>Legionella</i> in environmental reservoirs is aimed toward cooling towers and premise plumbing. As confirmed transmission of <i>Legionella</i> has been linked to many other sources, an over-emphasis on the most common sources may be detrimental to increasing understanding of the spread of legionellosis. This review aims to address this issue by cataloguing studies which have examined the occurrence of <i>Legionella</i> in less commonly investigated environments. By summarizing and discussing reports of <i>Legionella</i> in fresh water, ground water, saltwater, and distribution system drinking water, future environmental and public health researchers will have a resource to aid in investigating these pathogens in relevant sources.
ISSN:2076-2607