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Use of Real-Time PCR for Detection and Quantification of Legionella Bacteria in Water on the Scale of a Watershed: the Vidourle Valley, Page 1 of 2
< Previous page Next page > /docserver/preview/fulltext/10.1128/9781555815660/9781555813901_Chap109-1.gif /docserver/preview/fulltext/10.1128/9781555815660/9781555813901_Chap109-2.gifAbstract:
Legionella bacterium is present naturally in ground water and has been described as a new pathogen growing in water distribution systems. Real-time PCR is a technology that permits us to quantify, in a rapid, sensitive, and reliable way, the genomic units of bacteria in water. The authors of this chapter have used real-time PCR to study the presence of Legionella bacteria in the environment and in water distribution networks. They have quantified Legionella spp. and L. pneumophila in natural water, water distributed in the urban network following disinfectant treatment, and waste water from domestic and industrial use. The water microbiology was studied by ATP measurements and enumeration of Legionella by culture and by real-time PCR. Thirty natural water samples were collected along the Vidourle river. Six waste water samples were collected in the three towns. PCR results were higher in natural water than in distributed water and lower than in waste water. In this study, real-time PCR shed light on the presence of Legionella species flora in natural water along Vidourle Valley watershed. Proliferating in biofilms and in amoebae, the Legionella species may be a useful indicator for the estimation of the total microbiological quality of water. ATP-metry can also be an interesting tool for the characterization of the microbiological quality of water.