Making hospital water safe, examined

What are the best methods for monitoring hospital water systems to prevent contamination by waterborne pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Legionella? How can hospital staff determine whether a Pseudomonas outbreak is due to cross-contamination between patients and staff, or to the contamination of a systemic water supply, and how can we best protect our most vulnerable patients from infection with the array of pathogenic organisms lurking in hospitals? As Susan Pearson reports, these were among the questions discussedby leading microbiologists at a recent one-day "waterborne infections" seminar organised by Pall Medical in Glasgow.