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Monochloramine use for prevention of Legionella in hospital water systems

Sheetal Kandiah1, Mohamed H Yassin, Janet Stout

  • 1Division of Infectious Diseases, Emory University Hospital, 550 Peachtree St, MOT 7th Floor, Atlanta, GA 30308, USA. sheetal.kandiah@emory.edu.

Infectious Disorders Drug Targets
|August 22, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Monochloramine effectively eradicates Legionella bacteria in hospital water systems, preventing Legionnaire

Area of Science:

  • Environmental microbiology
  • Hospital water systems
  • Infectious disease prevention

Background:

  • Legionella species cause Legionnaire's disease, a severe respiratory illness.
  • Hospital water systems are challenging environments for eradicating Legionella.
  • Aerosolization of contaminated water is a primary transmission route.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of monochloramine for Legionella eradication in hospital water systems.
  • To assess the safety and cost-effectiveness of monochloramine treatment.
  • To investigate monochloramine's ability to penetrate biofilm.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing data on monochloramine use in municipal water systems.
  • Analysis of limited available data for hospital settings.
  • Assessment of biofilm penetration capabilities.

Main Results:

  • Monochloramine has demonstrated success in municipal water systems.
  • Limited data suggests potential efficacy in hospital settings.
  • The technology is considered affordable, safe, and effective against biofilm.

Conclusions:

  • Monochloramine shows promise as a viable strategy for Legionella control in hospitals.
  • Further research is needed to fully support its widespread adoption in healthcare settings.
  • Its effectiveness against biofilm is a key advantage.

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