Legionella longbeachae serogroup 1 infections linked to potting compost

Lindsay, Diane; Brown, A; Brown, D. J. F.; Pravinkumar, S. J.; Anderson, Ellen Zambo; Edwards, Giles

doi:10.1099/jmm.0.035857-0

Cited by 37 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…longbeachae, which is mostly reported in the potting soil mix, has played a role in respiratory disease outbreaks especially in Australia (Kumpers et al, 2008;Lindsay et al, 2012). In Australia and New Zealand, the proportion of Legionnaires' disease cases associated with L. longbeachae (30%) is greater than it is globally (2-7%) .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Public health implications of Acanthamoeba and multiple potential opportunistic pathogens in roof-harvested rainwater tanks

Hamilton

Ahmed

Palmer

et al. 2016

Environmental Research

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Public health implications of Acanthamoeba and multiple potential opportunistic pathogens in roof-harvested rainwater tanks

Hamilton

Ahmed

Palmer

et al. 2016

Environmental Research

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“…Each compost sample was tested three times, and the results were pooled to enhance detection rates. The test procedure utilized was adapted from those previously published [3,7,12]. Briefly, 5 g of compost was added to 50 mL of sterile dH 2 O before being shaken for 1 h at 150 r.p.m.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The incidence of infection with Legionella longbeachae in Europe has historically been low; since 1984, L. longbeachae has been cited as the causative agent in only 11 cases of infection in the UK, seven of these occurring in Scotland [3]. However, four of these cases (36.4%) occurred in Scotland between 2008 and 2010, and in all cases the patient had been in contact with commercially available compost before the onset of symptoms [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Of all species isolated, L. pneumophila, L. longbeachae, Legionella bozemanii, Legionella micdadei and Legionella anisa are known to cause disease in humans [1]; however, with the exception of one case of L. pneumophila Sg 1 [14], only L. longbeachae has been directly linked to cases of infection where compost or potting soils were cited as the source of infection [7,9]. Although Legionella species have been isolated from UK composts [3,15], studies have only looked at very small sample sizes, and to date, a study examining the prevalence of Legionella in a wide range of UK composts has not been undertaken. The aim of this study was therefore to address this knowledge gap and determine the incidence of Legionella species in commonly available UK composts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Legionella spp. in UK composts—a potential public health issue?

Currie

Beattie

Knapp

et al. 2014

Clinical Microbiology and Infection

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Over the past 5 years, a number of cases of legionellosis in Scotland have been associated with compost use; however, studies investigating sources of infection other than water systems remain limited. This study delivers the first comprehensive survey of composts commonly available in the UK for the presence of Legionella species. Twenty-two store-bought composts, one green-waste compost and one home-made compost were tested for Legionella by culture methods on BCYE-α medium, and the findings were confirmed by macrophage infectivity potentiator (mip) speciation. Twenty-two of the samples were retested after an enrichment period of 8 weeks. In total, 15 of 24 composts tested positive for Legionella species, a higher level of contamination than previously seen in Europe. Two isolates of Legionella pneumophila were identified, and Legionella longbeachae serogroup 1 was found to be one of the most commonly isolated species. L. longbeachae infection would not be detected by routine Legionella urinary antigen assay, so such testing should not be used as the sole diagnostic technique in atypical pneumonia cases, particularly where there is an association with compost use. The occurrence of Legionella in over half of the samples tested indicates that compost could pose a public health risk. The addition of general hygiene warnings to compost packages may be beneficial in protecting public health.

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“…longbeachae was initially isolated in Long Beach, California, in 1981 and has subsequently been linked to potting mixes 6 . Poor hand hygiene after gardening and exposure to aerosolized organisms have been linked to infection through inhalation or ingestion 7 .…”

Section: An Unexpected Cause Of Tenosynovitismentioning

confidence: 99%