Journal article
Legionnaires' Disease Associated with a Hospital Water System: A Cluster of 24 Nosocomial Cases
Annals of internal medicine, Vol.99(2), pp.172-178
08/01/1983
DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-99-2-172
PMID: 6881771
Abstract
Over a 10-month period, 24 cases of Legionnaires' disease pneumonia occurred among patients admitted to an Iowa hospital, most of whom were immunosuppressed. Eleven patients died. Twenty-one patients were admitted to a recently completed hospital addition, 16 of these to a new hematology-oncology unit. Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 was isolated from the patients, water outlets, and hot water in the new addition. Water quality variables in the hospital addition were adequate. Shock chlorination, temporary elevation of the hot water temperature, and continuous chlorination of hospital water decreased the frequency of isolation of Legionella. Water use by patients in the hematology-oncology unit was restricted until the water was free of Legionella. The incidence of Legionnaires' disease decreased. Indirect evidence supports an hypothesis of water-borne disease in this cluster of cases. Current variables of acceptable water potability may not guarantee water free of L. pneumophila.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Legionnaires' Disease Associated with a Hospital Water System: A Cluster of 24 Nosocomial Cases
- Creators
- CHARLES M HELMS
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Annals of internal medicine, Vol.99(2), pp.172-178
- DOI
- 10.7326/0003-4819-99-2-172
- PMID
- 6881771
- ISSN
- 0003-4819
- eISSN
- 1539-3704
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 08/01/1983
- Academic Unit
- Infectious Diseases; Health Management and Policy; Internal Medicine
- Record Identifier
- 9984094317302771
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