Susceptibility of Legionella strains to the chlorinated biocide, monochloramine.

Members of the Legionella genus find suitable conditions for their growth and survival in nuclear power plant cooling circuits. To limit the proliferation of Legionella pathogenic bacteria in nuclear power plant cooling circuits, and ensure that levels remain below regulatory thresholds, monochloramine treatment can be used. Although the treatment is highly effective, i.e. it reduces Legionella numbers by over 99%, Legionella bacteria can still be detected at low concentrations and rapid re-colonisation of circuits can occur after the treatment has ceased. The aim of this study was to develop an in vitro methodology for determining the intrinsic susceptibility of L. pneumophila strains, collected from various nuclear power plant cooling circuits subjected to different treatment conditions. The methodology was developed by using an original approach based on response surface methodology (RSM) combined with a multifactorial experimental design. The susceptibility was evaluated by the Ct factor. The susceptibility of environmental strains varies widely and is, for some strains, greater than that of known tolerant species; however, strain susceptibility was not related to treatment conditions. Selection pressure induced by monochloramine use did not result in the selection of more tolerant Legionella strains and did not explain the detection of Legionella during treatment or the rapid re-colonisation of cooling circuits after disinfection has ceased.

The impact of monochloramine on the diversity and dynamics of Legionella pneumophila subpopulations in a nuclear power plant cooling circuit.

Members of the pathogenic Legionella genus encounter suitable growth conditions in nuclear power plant cooling circuits. To limit its proliferation and ensure that levels remain below regulatory thresholds, chemical treatment with monochloramine can be used in continuous or sequential conditions. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of monochloramine on L. pneumophila subpopulations in the cooling circuits of a nuclear power plant. The chosen procedure involved monitoring the diversity and dynamics of L. pneumophila subpopulations every month over the course of a year in a nuclear power plant cooling circuit, which was treated for 2 months during the period under study. This study confirmed the effectiveness of monochloramine to limit L. pneumophila concentrations in cooling circuits. The culturable L. pneumophila community was strongly affected by the injection of monochloramine. Several subpopulations persisted during treatment at low concentrations (below the detection limit of standard methods), suggesting that the susceptibility of L. pneumophila is strain dependent. Although the composition of the subpopulations was not similar, the resilience of the community structure was observed. Indeed, the community eventually returned to its initial structure and presented a similar pattern of richness, diversity and uniformity to that seen before treatment.