Legionnaires' disease from a cooling tower in a community outbreak in Lidköping, Sweden- epidemiological, environmental and microbiological investigation supported by meteorological modelling
Autor: | Martin Hjorth, Berndt E. B. Claesson, Birgitta de Jong, Anna Lindqvist, Anna Hugosson, Peter Nolskog, Gorel Allestam, Anne-Christine Hagaeus, Agneta Johansson, Sverker Bernander, Nils Svensson, Ingrid Eilertz, Peter Ulleryd |
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Rok vydání: | 2012 |
Předmět: |
Adult
Male medicine.medical_specialty Medicin och hälsovetenskap Cooling tower Legionnaires' disease Meteorological Concepts Epidemiology Medical and Health Sciences lcsh:Infectious and parasitic diseases Microbiology Disease Outbreaks Legionella pneumophila Modelling methods Environmental health medicine Environmental Microbiology Humans lcsh:RC109-216 Legionella pneumophila Serogroup 1 Serotyping Aged High concentration Aged 80 and over Sweden Sequence based typing business.industry Outbreak Middle Aged medicine.disease Bacterial Load respiratory tract diseases Molecular Typing Infectious Diseases Female Meteorological computer models Legionnaires' Disease business Tower Research Article Legionnaires’ disease |
Zdroj: | BMC Infectious Diseases BMC Infectious Diseases, Vol 12, Iss 1, p 313 (2012) |
ISSN: | 1471-2334 |
Popis: | Background An outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease took place in the Swedish town Lidköping on Lake Vänern in August 2004 and the number of pneumonia cases at the local hospital increased markedly. As soon as the first patients were diagnosed, health care providers were informed and an outbreak investigation was launched. Methods Classical epidemiological investigation, diagnostic tests, environmental analyses, epidemiological typing and meteorological methods. Results Thirty-two cases were found. The median age was 62 years (range 36 – 88) and 22 (69%) were males. No common indoor exposure was found. Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 was found at two industries, each with two cooling towers. In one cooling tower exceptionally high concentrations, 1.2 × 109 cfu/L, were found. Smaller amounts were also found in the other tower of the first industry and in one tower of the second plant. Sero- and genotyping of isolated L. pneumophila serogroup 1 from three patients and epidemiologically suspected environmental strains supported the cooling tower with the high concentration as the source. In all, two L. pneumophila strains were isolated from three culture confirmed cases and both these strains were detected in the cooling tower, but one strain in another cooling tower as well. Meteorological modelling demonstrated probable spread from the most suspected cooling tower towards the town centre and the precise location of four cases that were stray visitors to Lidköping. Conclusions Classical epidemiological, environmental and microbiological investigation of an LD outbreak can be supported by meteorological modelling methods. The broad competence and cooperation capabilities in the investigation team from different authorities were of paramount importance in stopping this outbreak. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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