Isolation And Identification Oflegionellaspp. From Hot Spring Water Inalgeriaby Culture And Molecular Methods

Aims Due to infectious risk associated with the presence ofLegionellain warm water, we determined the prevalence of livingLegionellaspp. in hot spring water in Algeria. Methods and results Detection of Legionella by culture was done by using two methods, direct culture on agar plates and co-culture with amoeba. Fifty samples were taken from different hot springs in northern Algeria, including swimming pools, showers and thermal sources.Legionella pneumophilaserotypes were predominant, accounting for 60% of positive samples. Direct method allowed the isolation of 13L. pneumophilaonly of 50 samples (26%), whereas co-culture using a panel of three free living amoeba allowed the isolation of 119Legionellaspecies from the same samples (80%) Conclusions Amoeba co-culture allowed the isolation of severalLegionellasp., while direct culture allowed the isolation ofL. pneumophilaonly. Remarkably,Legionella longbeachae, usually isolated from soil and compost, was isolated for the first time in thermal water in three samples usingVermamoeba vermiformisco-culture. Significance and Impact of the Study The presence of Legionella in the water of hot springs in Algeria, which are mainly frequented by individuals at risk of Legionellosis, requires urgent control measures.