1998 Volume 49 Issue 9 Pages 1045-1048
The bacteria of the genus Legionella (legionellae) are widely distributed in the environment; however, how they are distributed in dwellings has not been clarified. This paper reports the findings of the analysis of legionellae in 119 water samples from bathtubs taken from households and common facilities such as homes for the aged, rehabilitation centers, dormitories and sanatoriums. Of the total, 73.9% of the samples were positive. Evaluating the number of bacteria on the basis of the guidelines from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 47.9 % were considered safe. However, 52.1% were in the region where the bacteria growth needed to be prevented. There was no difference between households and common facilities in terms of positive percentage. We identified 34 colonies which had been isolated from the positive samples of legionellae. The greater part (82.4%) of the 34 colonies was found to be L. pneumophila, supporting the past data obtained with samples other than water from bathtubs. Legionellae are opportunistic bacteria, which occasionally cause pneumonia by inhalation of aerosol. Such being the case, contamination of water in bathtubs must be prevented where infants, the elderly and patients are involved.
