Abstract
Outbreaks of infectious diseases by new pathogenic microorganisms through water utilization have been reported in recent years. Especially, Legionnaires' disease has been recognized as a serious problem in modern societies since a high concentration of Legionella pneumophila often exist in water environment (such as cooling tower, bath water, recreational water) close to human activities. In this study, the quantitative detection method (colony-hybridization) for L. pneumophila was developed by combining the hybridization with the plate culture method. The developed detection method enabled L. pneumophila to be enumerated in various water samples. It was possible to quantify L. pneumophila without interferences of other bacteria by this method in case that the number of total coliforms on the plate was less than 103 CFU.
