Occurrence of Legionella in beach shower facilities

It has been analyzed 36 samples of water proceeding from beach shower facilities: 7 of these were found to be contaminated with Legionella (19.44%). In three showers, L. pneumophila 1 was reported, in two L. pneumophila 2-14; in another two cases L. pneumophila 2-14 was found together with Legionella sp. and L. pneumophila 1 together with L. pneumophila 2-14. This study, which confirms the circulation of Legionella in our region of southern Italy, extends the list of the possible sources of infection, including also public and private beaches among the contaminated sites. It is the Authors opinion that when evaluating the risk in these cases we should take into account that the crowding of the beaches in the summer months and the communal nature of shower use in these periods increases the frequency of exposure of children and old people. These vulnerable categories are significantly more likely to develop the disease once infected

Isolation of Yersinia enterocolitica biotype 1 A

A survey has been carried out for the presence of Yersinia enterocolitioca in raw meat products. One hundred and twenty raw beef, chicken and ham samples were assayed for the presence of Yersinia enterocolitica by the 4 degrees °C enrichment method after 2 weeks of incubation using phosphate buffered saline. Yersinia enterocolitica biotype 1 A non agglutinable (NAG) was isolated from a sample of beef and identified by Api 20 E System and additional biochemical tests, Lipase, ?-D-Glucosidase and Pyrazinamidase. The Author related about pathogenicity of Yersinia enterocolitica biotype 1 A that may cause symptoms similar to that caused by virulent biotypes. The presence of Yersinia enterocolitica in raw meat products represents a health risk for consumers therefore was suggested to yersiniosis control and further surveillance studies on epidemiology of such emerging pathogens

Legionella indoor air contamination in healthcare environments

Legionella spp. is a ubiquitous intracellular microorganism in aquatic environments both natural and artificial. Although Legionella pneumophila sg 1 and sg 6 are the main causes of disease, other species have recently been associated with cases of legionellosis. Since 2000, some international documents related to the control and prevention of Legionnairesâ disease have been issued, providing different environmental matricesâ sampling, but not for air. To date, the control on water mains is preferred; however, air sampling could be a useful tool for exposure evaluation. To sample biological particles in the air, active and passive methods can be used. Several studies have compared the values of microbial counts obtained with these sampling methods, attaining discordant results. Based on this scientific background and on the experience about Legionella spp. contamination and air microbial sampling in health care environments, GISIO-SItI, AIA, and SIMPIOS promoted two multicenter studies focused on identifying a standardized sampling protocol to detect the airborne contamination coming from water sources contaminated with Legionella spp

Legionella indoor air contamination in healthcare environments

Legionella spp. is a ubiquitous intracellular microorganism in aquatic environments both natural and artificial. Although Legionella pneumophila sg 1 and sg 6 are the main causes of disease, other species have recently been associated with cases of legionellosis. Since 2000, some international documents related to the control and prevention of Legionnairesâ\u80\u99 disease have been issued, providing different environmental matricesâ\u80\u99 sampling, but not for air. To date, the control on water mains is preferred; however, air sampling could be a useful tool for exposure evaluation. To sample biological particles in the air, active and passive methods can be used. Several studies have compared the values of microbial counts obtained with these sampling methods, attaining discordant results. Based on this scientific background and on the experience about Legionella spp. contamination and air microbial sampling in health care environments, GISIO-SItI, AIA, and SIMPIOS promoted two multicenter studies focused on identifying a standardized sampling protocol to detect the airborne contamination coming from water sources contaminated with Legionella spp