Experimental studies of detection and processing of Legionella spp. in public drinking water supplies

Studies were conducted to improve the detection and processing of Legionella spp. in public drinking water supplies. The survival of legionellas was the best in tap water samples, stored at 4 degrees C. Comparing investigations showed that the most cells could be recovered from glassware whereas plastics adsorbed legionellas up to 80-90 percent on their surfaces. A method of enrichment and isolation of legionellas from large volumes of tap water samples was developed using precipitation by Fe(OH)3. Finally, a comparison of BCYE alpha-agar containing different mixtures of antibiotics revealed that the supplement of vancomycin, polymyxin, and glycine (VPG) gave better results than of cephalothin, colistin, vancomycin, and cycloheximide (CCVC), especially, because of the different growth of various serogroups of Legionella pneumophila on the CCVC medium.