Efficacy of point-of-entry copper--silver ionisation system in eradicating Legionella pneumophila in a tropical tertiary care hospital: implications for hospitals contaminated with Legionella in both hot and cold water

The Journal of Hospital Infection
Y S ChenC L Chang

Abstract

A medical centre in Southern Taiwan experienced an outbreak of nosocomial Legionnaires' disease, with the water distribution system thought to be the source of the infection. Even after two superheats and flush, the rate of Legionella positivity in distal sites in hospital wards and intensive care units (ICUs) was 14% and 66%, respectively. Copper-silver ionisation was therefore implemented in an attempt to control Legionella colonisation in both hot- and cold-water systems. Environmental cultures and ion concentration testing were performed to evaluate the efficacy of ionisation. When the system was activated, no significant change in rate of Legionella positivity in the hospital wards (20% vs baseline of 30%) and ICUs (28% vs baseline of 34%) of the test buildings over a three-month period was found, although all Legionella positivity rates were below 30%, an arbitrary target for Legionnaires' disease prevention. When ion concentrations were increased from month 4 to month 7, however, the rate of Legionella positivity decreased significantly to 5% (mean) in hospital wards (P=0.037) and 16% (mean) in ICUs (P=0.037). Legionella positivity was further reduced to 0% in hospital wards and 5% (mean) in ICUs while 50% sites were sti...Continue Reading

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Citations

Sep 20, 2011·Water Research·Mary E Schoen, Nicholas J Ashbolt
Apr 5, 2011·Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology : the Official Journal of the Society of Hospital Epidemiologists of America·Yusen E LinVictor L Yu
Aug 21, 2007·Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene·E KhanR Hasan
Aug 10, 2002·Journal of Orthopaedic Research : Official Publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society·Steve W N UengJui-Hsun Weng
Jul 17, 2007·The Journal of Urology·Matthew E FalagasIlias I Siempos
Dec 6, 2018·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Maria A KyritsiChristos Hadjichristodoulou
Jun 15, 2011·Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases·Yusen E LinVictor L Yu
Aug 16, 2019·Clinical Microbiology Reviews·Linda P ArendsenAbdul H Sultan
Oct 9, 2020·Water Science and Technology : a Journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research·S Arkan-OzdemirE Ilhan-Sungur

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