Legionella Contamination Survey of Hot Water Distribution Systems in Public Places

Legionella is a kind of waterborne pathogen widespreading in certain human-made water environments. Environmental exposure to Legionella can couse Legionnaires' disease, including pneumonia or less severe Pontiac fever. However, the monitoring system on Legionella and Legionnaires' disease has not been established in China, and the sanitay quality of hot water distribution systems and warm water showers were widely concerned by consumers. Legionella was prevalent in such water systems in public places, which had become a potential health threat to consumers. The research on Legionella contamination in hot water distribution systems and warm water showers in public places were reviewed in this paper, and some new directions were also proposed.