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Risk of Hospital-Acquired Legionnaires' Disease in Cities Using Monochloramine Versus Other Water Disinfectants

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

James D. Heffelfinger ,
Jacob L. Kool ,
Scott Fridkin ,
Victoria J. Fraser ,
Jeffrey Hageman ,
Joseph Carpenter ,
Cynthia G. Whitney  and
Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America
James D. Heffelfinger
Affiliation:
Respiratory Diseases Branch, Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
Jacob L. Kool
Affiliation:
Respiratory Diseases Branch, Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
Scott Fridkin
Affiliation:
Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
Victoria J. Fraser
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Washington University Medical Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Jeffrey Hageman
Affiliation:
Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
Joseph Carpenter
Affiliation:
Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
Cynthia G. Whitney*
Affiliation:
Respiratory Diseases Branch, Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
*
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, MS C-02, Atlanta, GA 30333
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Abstract

Objective:

To measure the association between the disinfection of municipal drinking water with monochloramine and the occurrence of hospital-acquired legionnaires' disease (LD).

Setting:

One hundred sixty-six U.S. hospitals.

Design:

Survey of 459 members of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) for hospital features; endemic- and outbreak-related, hospital-acquired LD; the source of the hospital water supply; and the methods of disinfection used by the hospitals and municipal water treatment plants.

Results:

SHEA members representing 166 (36%) of 459 hospitals responded; 33 (20%) reported one or more episodes of hospital-acquired LD during the period from 1994 to 1998 and 23 (14%) reported an outbreak of hospital-acquired LD during the period from 1989 to 1998. Hospitals with an occurrence of hospital-acquired LD had a higher census (median, 319 vs 221; P = .03), more acute care beds (median, 500 vs 376; P = .04), and more intensive care unit beds (median, 42 vs 24; P = .009) than did other hospitals. They were also more likely to have a transplant service (74% vs 42%; P = .001) and to perform surveillance for hospital-acquired disease (92% vs 61%; P = .001). After adjustment for the presence of a transplant program and surveillance for legionnaires' disease, hospitals supplied with drinking water disinfected with monochloramine by municipal plants were less likely to have sporadic cases or outbreaks of hospital-acquired LD (odds ratio, 0.20; 95% confidence interval, 0.07 to 0.56) than were other hospitals.

Conclusion:

Water disinfection with monochloramine by municipal water treatment plants significantly reduces the risk of hospital-acquired LD.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 24 , Issue 8 , August 2003 , pp. 569 - 574
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2003

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