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Rapid quantification of viable L egionella in nuclear cooling tower waters using filter cultivation, fluorescent in situ hybridization and solid‐phase cytometry
Author(s) -
Baudart J.,
Guillaume C.,
Mercier A.,
Lebaron P.,
Binet M.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of applied microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.889
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1365-2672
pISSN - 1364-5072
DOI - 10.1111/jam.12783
Subject(s) - legionella , cooling tower , enumeration , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , legionella pneumophila , fluorescence in situ hybridization , water cooling , bacteria , environmental science , physics , mathematics , biochemistry , genetics , combinatorics , gene , chromosome , thermodynamics
Aims To develop a rapid and sensitive method to quantify viable Legionella spp. in cooling tower water samples. Methods and Results A rapid, culture‐based method capable of quantifying as few as 600 Legionella microcolonies per litre within 2 days in industrial waters was developed. The method combines a short cultivation step of microcolonies on GVPC agar plate, specific detection of Legionella cells by a fluorescent in situ hybridization ( FISH ) approach, and a sensitive enumeration using a solid‐phase cytometer. Following optimization of the cultivation conditions, the qualitative and quantitative performance of the method was assessed and the method was applied to 262 nuclear power plant cooling water samples. Conclusions The performance of this method was in accordance with the culture method ( NF ‐T 90‐431) for Legionella enumeration. Significance and Impact of the Study The rapid detection of viable Legionella in water is a major concern to the effective monitoring of this pathogenic bacterium in the main water sources involved in the transmission of legionellosis infection (Legionnaires' disease). The new method proposed here appears to be a robust, efficient and innovative means for rapidly quantifying cultivable Legionella in cooling tower water samples within 48 h.