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Presence of Legionella pneumophila in evaporative condensers and its relation with the characteristics of the water.

Author(s) : CASTAÑO A., HERNÁNDEZ E., LÓPEZ GÓMEZ A., et al.

Summary

Legionella is a microorganism widely spread in the aquatic environment, from where it may reach the supplying and distribution network of public water and, eventually, the refrigeration systems of industrial facilities and buildings. Particularly, evaporative condensers are cooling devices that spread aerosols to the air, and may contain Legionella. In this equipment, several factors that promote the development and dispersion of this microorganism take place. Therefore, evaporative condensers placed in the refrigeration systems of food factories were characterized and sampled over a 5-month period. The most relevant physical and chemical characteristics of water used in these evaporative condensers were determined. Besides, the presence of amoebae and other protozoans was analyzed, the number of mesophilic aerobic microorganisms was determined, and the presence of Legionella spp. was studied. The analysis shows that Legionella pneumophila was present in some of the evaporative condensers, in spite of the fact that all the facilities were subjected to a preventive treatment of cleaning and disinfection. The results also showed that high counts of microorganisms are not always linked to the presence of Legionella.

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Pages: ICR07-B2-971

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Details

  • Original title: Presence of Legionella pneumophila in evaporative condensers and its relation with the characteristics of the water.
  • Record ID : 2007-2053
  • Languages: English
  • Source: ICR 2007. Refrigeration Creates the Future. Proceedings of the 22nd IIR International Congress of Refrigeration.
  • Publication date: 2007/08/21

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