Most US cooling towers contain Legionella bacteria

January 9, 2018 Follow @HFToday

DNA evidence of Legionella bacteria is present in 164 cooling towers throughout eight of the nine climate regions in the United States, according to an article on the Becker's Clinical Leadership and Infection Control website.

In a study published in PLOS One, researchers took water samples from 196 cooling towers between July and September 2016 — 84 percent (164) contained DNA evidence of Legionella.

Researchers conducted culture tests on Legionella isolates from 78 of the towers.

The team identified 144 isolates, about half of which of which were Legionella pneumophilia.

Read the article.

See the latest posts on our homepage

Topic Area: Infection Control

Healthcare facilities investing in infrastructure

Northwest Medical Center in Margate, Fla., plans a $650-million expansion

7/17/2018

Blog

Be smart about the surfaces in healthcare

Smooth surfaces restrict cracks and crevices and help prevent the spread of harmful bacteria through cross contamination

7/17/2018

Inova Health System following trend to inpatient behavioral health

Inova Fairfax Hospital to open new inpatient behavioral health unit

7/17/2018

Focus: Cybersecurity

Tackling healthcare cybersecurity challenges

Many chief information security officers aren’t even close to having the tools they need to deal with cyberattacks

7/17/2018

Designing to bring primary, behavioral care together

Healthcare organizations around the country are beginning to integrate behavioral health and primary care services in a single setting, according to an article on the Healthcare Design website

7/17/2018