Legionella E-news -- 30 October 2008

Legionella E-news, 30 October 2008
HC Info
Matthew R. Freije, Editor

**IN THIS ISSUE**
1. Legionnaires' Outbreaks
2. Study Raises Concern about Chloramines
3. Book Review: Legionella: Molecular Microbiology

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1. LEGIONNAIRES' OUTBREAKS
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Eight cases and three deaths at a NJ Hospital: Eight patients on the same oncology wing of a New Jersey hospital contracted Legionnaires' disease in mid to late September, three of whom have died. Legionella was found in the plumbing system in both hot and cold water.

Six cases in a south suburb of Chicago: Five cases of Legionnaires' disease in Tinley Park and one in Orland Park were diagnosed between September 11th October 1st. All six were hospitalized and have recovered. Investigators have not identified the source of the outbreak. Source: thetimesonline.com

Three cases in Scarborough, UK: Two residents of Scarborough and a visitor to the area contracted Legionnaires' disease in September. Two of the three have recovered but the other has died. Investigators could not determine the source of the outbreak.

Four cases among guests of a Las Vegas resort: Health officials said two guests of a Las Vegas resort were diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease in 2007 and another two in the past two months. All four have recovered. The same resort was associated with an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in 2001. Source: Review-Journal and AP

Seven cases in Oneida County, NY: The Oneida County Health Department has not identified a common link for seven cases of Legionnaires’ disease that occurred in the Upstate New York county from July through October 3rd. All seven have recovered. Sources: uticaod.com and romesentinel.com

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2. STUDY RAISES CONCERN ABOUT CHLORAMINES
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An article by Catherine Cooney, published in September by the American Chemical Society, summarizes a University of Illinois study that showed drinking water treated with chloramines may contain more harmful disinfection byproducts than water treated with chlorine, ozone, or chlorine dioxide. The article is posted at http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/abstract.cgi/esthag/asap/abs/es802584a.html.

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3. BOOK REVIEW: LEGIONELLA: MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY
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Legionella: Molecular Microbiology, edited by Klaus Heuner and Michelle Swanson.
249 pages, March 2008, ISBN 978-1-904455-26-4
Caister Academic Press, Norfolk, UK, www.caister.com, US$300/£150

The first three chapters of this book are an easy read and will be quite interesting to anyone wanting to learn more about Legionnaires’ disease and Legionella bacteria. Chapter 1, by Paul Edelstein, gives a history of the disease, including outbreaks that occurred prior to its discovery and the first isolation of Legionella bacteria, and discusses the roll of amoebae in the environmental ecology of Legionella. Chapter 2, by Paul Christian Lück, covers diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Chapter 3, by Carol Joseph and Kathryn Ricketts, is about the epidemiology of Legionnaires’ disease, including definitions of confirmed versus presumptive cases, and nosocomial versus travel-associated and community outbreaks. Incidence and mortality rates are also discussed.

Chapters 4 through 12, more reflective of the book’s title, will be interesting and understandable only to those with training in microbiology. Topics include differentiation of Legionella pneumophilia (Chapter 4), the genetics and immunology of host resistance to Legionella infection (Chapter 5), the relationship between virulence and the motility of Legionella due to their flagella (Chapter 6), genomics and transcriptomics of Legionella pneumophilia (Chapter 7), secretion and export in Legionella (Chapters 8 and 9), mechanisms of intracellular survival and replication (Chapter 10), nutrient acquisitions and assimilation strategies (Chapter 11), and a tractable model host organism for Legionella (Chapter 12).

This book is a must for microbiologists involved with Legionella. Although the cost may not be justifiable for the non-microbiologist, it will make a nice addition to the library of anyone professionally involved with Legionnaires' disease and Legionella bacteria. -- MRF

If you would like to submit a legionella-related book for review, please send it to HC Info. If you would like to write the book review yourself, please email it to hcinfo@hcinfo.com with your CV or bio.

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