PCR-Based <i>Legionella</i> Risk Evaluation of Drinking Water Systems—An Empirical Field Evaluation
Pathogens in water systems pose potential health risks. Several countries provide guidelines and risk management strategies for clean water systems. Regarding legionellae, culture-based methods are still the gold standard, whereas molecular methods such as quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) are contr...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Microorganisms |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/6/1311 |
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| author | Markus Petzold Nicole Zacharias Sarah Uhle Laurine Kieper Nico Tom Mutters Thomas Kistemann Christiane Schreiber |
| author_facet | Markus Petzold Nicole Zacharias Sarah Uhle Laurine Kieper Nico Tom Mutters Thomas Kistemann Christiane Schreiber |
| author_sort | Markus Petzold |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Pathogens in water systems pose potential health risks. Several countries provide guidelines and risk management strategies for clean water systems. Regarding legionellae, culture-based methods are still the gold standard, whereas molecular methods such as quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) are controversially discussed among experts as an alternative. It remains questionable as to whether monitoring by qPCR contributes to sustainable water hygiene and effective health prevention. Drinking water samples from 101 buildings were culture-based analyzed to determine the legionellae concentration, along with qPCR tests. The negative predictive values for <i>Legionella</i> spp. and <i>L. pneumophila</i> qPCR regarding the cultivation method were 100% and 98%, respectively. As <i>Legionella</i> spp. DNA is ubiquitously detected, the positive predictive value was low. <i>L. pneumophila</i> DNA was in 18% of the drinking water samples detected by qPCR, among which only 7% was quantifiable. Neither gold-standard methods of cultivation nor qPCR methods alone are suitable to monitor the risk to health by legionellae in water environments adequately. To overcome methodical difficulties, the benefits of a strategic integration of qPCR alongside cultivation methods should be applied to develop a comprehensive protocol for the stepwise analysis of water samples, which can be implemented in international regulatory frameworks in the future. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e5b19ffa73e24cba806666ba9ac91ea8 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj-art-e5b19ffa73e24cba806666ba9ac91ea82025-08-20T03:27:40ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072025-06-01136131110.3390/microorganisms13061311PCR-Based <i>Legionella</i> Risk Evaluation of Drinking Water Systems—An Empirical Field EvaluationMarkus Petzold0Nicole Zacharias1Sarah Uhle2Laurine Kieper3Nico Tom Mutters4Thomas Kistemann5Christiane Schreiber6Institute of Medical Microbiology and Virology, University Hospital Dresden, Dresden University of Technology, Fetscherstraße 74, 01307 Dresden, GermanyInstitute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, GermanyInstitute of Medical Microbiology and Virology, University Hospital Dresden, Dresden University of Technology, Fetscherstraße 74, 01307 Dresden, GermanyInstitute of Medical Microbiology and Virology, University Hospital Dresden, Dresden University of Technology, Fetscherstraße 74, 01307 Dresden, GermanyInstitute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, GermanyInstitute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, GermanyInstitute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, GermanyPathogens in water systems pose potential health risks. Several countries provide guidelines and risk management strategies for clean water systems. Regarding legionellae, culture-based methods are still the gold standard, whereas molecular methods such as quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) are controversially discussed among experts as an alternative. It remains questionable as to whether monitoring by qPCR contributes to sustainable water hygiene and effective health prevention. Drinking water samples from 101 buildings were culture-based analyzed to determine the legionellae concentration, along with qPCR tests. The negative predictive values for <i>Legionella</i> spp. and <i>L. pneumophila</i> qPCR regarding the cultivation method were 100% and 98%, respectively. As <i>Legionella</i> spp. DNA is ubiquitously detected, the positive predictive value was low. <i>L. pneumophila</i> DNA was in 18% of the drinking water samples detected by qPCR, among which only 7% was quantifiable. Neither gold-standard methods of cultivation nor qPCR methods alone are suitable to monitor the risk to health by legionellae in water environments adequately. To overcome methodical difficulties, the benefits of a strategic integration of qPCR alongside cultivation methods should be applied to develop a comprehensive protocol for the stepwise analysis of water samples, which can be implemented in international regulatory frameworks in the future.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/6/1311<i>Legionella</i>qPCRculturemonitoringdrinking waterhygiene |
| spellingShingle | Markus Petzold Nicole Zacharias Sarah Uhle Laurine Kieper Nico Tom Mutters Thomas Kistemann Christiane Schreiber PCR-Based <i>Legionella</i> Risk Evaluation of Drinking Water Systems—An Empirical Field Evaluation Microorganisms <i>Legionella</i> qPCR culture monitoring drinking water hygiene |
| title | PCR-Based <i>Legionella</i> Risk Evaluation of Drinking Water Systems—An Empirical Field Evaluation |
| title_full | PCR-Based <i>Legionella</i> Risk Evaluation of Drinking Water Systems—An Empirical Field Evaluation |
| title_fullStr | PCR-Based <i>Legionella</i> Risk Evaluation of Drinking Water Systems—An Empirical Field Evaluation |
| title_full_unstemmed | PCR-Based <i>Legionella</i> Risk Evaluation of Drinking Water Systems—An Empirical Field Evaluation |
| title_short | PCR-Based <i>Legionella</i> Risk Evaluation of Drinking Water Systems—An Empirical Field Evaluation |
| title_sort | pcr based i legionella i risk evaluation of drinking water systems an empirical field evaluation |
| topic | <i>Legionella</i> qPCR culture monitoring drinking water hygiene |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/6/1311 |
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