UK (Commonwealth Union) – Legionella generally results in severe pneumonia leading to lung inflammation where symptoms usually include headaches, muscle aches, difficulty breathing, chest pain, a high temperature and more. A new study has shown that routine sampling of water supplies and genomic sequencing to evaluate the total genetic makeup of the Legionella bacteria can have a significant impact in marking the source of Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks.
Researchers have suggested that the genomic study of the Legionella bacteria that causes the disease can help inform the public on the steps needed to restrict infections and also suggested improved testing is crucial, as the disease is transmitted by inhaling the bacteria in aerosols which are minute droplets of contaminated water. Outbreaks frequently take place as a result of water systems in hotels, cruise ships and hospitals, and amongst the community.
The Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, Public Health Scotland and the Scottish Legionella Reference Laboratory had researchers compare the entire genetic code of over 3,000 Legionella bacteria samples from patients and water sources from Scotland and across the globe. The findings demonstrated new details and fresh insights into the features of Legionella bacteria and its spread across Scotland.
The study of the genetic code led scientists to see that Legionella infections after travel were often closely linked to other variants from the same UK or global travel areas. For infections, the evaluation saw nearly 1/3 of infections in Scotland were due to community transmission and no link to hospital or travel which resulted from a single variant. Researchers stated that close monitoring of this variant was essential.
Professor Ross Fitzgerald, Chair of Molecular Bacteriology, University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute said: “Our study indicates that regular sampling of water systems and genome sequencing of Legionella could be used to identify the source of new pathogenic variants before they become a clinical problem.
