TY - JOUR AU - Borella, Paola AU - Montagna, M. Teresa AU - Romano-Spica, Vincenzo AU - Stampi, Serena AU - Stancanelli, Giovanna AU - Triassi, Maria AU - Neglia, Rachele AU - Marchesi, Isabella AU - Fantuzzi, Guglielmina AU - Tatò, Daniela AU - Napoli, Christian AU - Quaranta, Gianluigi AU - Laurenti, Patrizia AU - Leoni, Erica AU - De Luca, Giovanna AU - Ossi, Cristina AU - Moro, Matteo AU - D’Alcalà, Gabriella Ribera T1 - Legionella Infection Risk from Domestic Hot Water T2 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal PY - 2004 VL - 10 IS - 3 SP - 457 SN - 1080-6059 AB - We investigated Legionella and Pseudomonas contamination of hot water in a cross-sectional multicentric survey in Italy. Chemical parameters (hardness, free chlorine, and trace elements) were determined. Legionella spp. were detected in 33 (22.6%) and Pseudomonas spp. in 56 (38.4%) of 146 samples. Some factors associated with Legionella contamination were heater type, tank distance and capacity, water plant age, and mineral content. Pseudomonas presence was influenced by water source, hardness, free chlorine, and temperature. Legionella contamination was associated with a centralized heater, distance from the heater point >10 m, and a water plant >10 years old. Furthermore, zinc levels of <20 μg/L and copper levels of >50 μg/L appeared to be protective against Legionella colonization. Legionella species and serogroups were differently distributed according to heater type, water temperature, and free chlorine, suggesting that Legionella strains may have a different sensibility and resistance to environmental factors and different ecologic niches. KW - Legionella spp. KW - Pseudomonas spp. KW - water microbial contamination KW - domestic hot water systems home colonization KW - Legionella multicentric survey KW - community legionellosis KW - Italy DO - 10.3201/eid1003.020707 UR - https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/10/3/02-0707_article ER - End of Reference