Background; Legionella case detection rates and notification rates have increased in artificial water environments, including large buildings, public baths, and hospitals where people publicly visit. In this study, distribution of Legionella and its epidemiologic characteristics were analyzed in the subjects with public facilities in Chungnam province, Korea.
Methods; Culture tests and PCR analysis were performed on 2,991 environmental water system samples collected from 2017 to 2019, and correlations with year, facilities, seasons, and temperature of water system were analyzed by chi-square test and independent t-test.
Result; Detection rate of Legionella was increased from 3.1% to 10.3% in 2017 and 2019, respectively, in the order of public baths, large-scale buildings, hospitals, and apartments. It were detected mainly in summer from june to august, over 1.0x10³ CFU/L on average in 133 cases(66.5%). Lots of germs were detected in bathtub water, cooling tower water and warm water(p=0.001), and it were detected higher in the cities where multipurposed facilities were concentrated than in the counties(p=0.018).
Conclusion; The necessities of continuous monitoring and controls are confirmed on the water system environment by high-risk facilities to be detected with Legionella. These analysis data will be helpful to prepare the efficient management plans to prevent from Legionellosis occurred in Chungnam province.