Water is an essential requirement for virtually all life as we know it. Not only do we drink and wash in it, but it is also essential for many industries. However, its use is not free of risk, as this year’s Legionnaires’ disease and Pseudomonas outbreaks remind us.
In the UK there were three fatalities and more than 100 cases of Legionnaires’ disease in Edinburgh, shortly followed by two deaths and 15 cases in Stoke-on-Trent. And it is not only a UK issue, Quebec City, Canada is in the midst of an outbreak that has caused three deaths and 40 potential cases.
Only identified as a cause of disease in 1977, Legionella was thought to grow inside microscopic protozoa organisms and inhabit warm, damp environments, such as cooling towers, air-conditioners, bathrooms and soil, entering the body when fine water droplets are inhaled.
Thanks to the recent work of Flinders University researcher, Dr Michael Taylor, who built a cooling tower-type environment to grow the organism, we now know it can survive on its own without a host. Having pinpointed where it can exist and how, his research is now looking at how good different disinfectants are at killing it.
Pseudomonas was recently discovered in hospital sinks and taps and various resistant spores of Clostridium have been found surviving in laundry waste water.
Fortunately new, inventive technologies are coming through that may alert us to or kill these pathogens – such as a new water monitor and copper taps designed for use in hospitals and other places where contamination is critical. Certainly, monitoring water, whatever its use, is key.
