Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Effects of Japan Sea Proper Water on the growth ofLegionella pneumophila, Escherichia coli, andStaphylococcus aureus

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine Aims and scope

Abstract

Objective

To assess whetherLegionella pneumophila serogroup 1 and serogroup 6,Escherichia coli, andStaphylococcus aureus can survive in Japan Sea Proper Water (JSPW).

Methods

The inhibitory effects of JSPW, surface seawater (SSW), phosphate buffer solution with 3.5% NaCl of pH 7.0 (3.5% NaCIPBS), and the 102- and 104-fold dilute solutions with purified water or phosphate buffer solution of pH 7.0, and purified water were investigated. Survival cells were counted immediately after the water and the bacteria were mixed, and at 1,3,5, and 7 days after incubation at 37°C. If the number of surviving cells was decreased more than 2 log units compared with the starting value, we judged the medium to have had an inhibitory effect on the growth of the bacteria.

Results

The survival cells of the bacteria in JSPW had decreased more than 2 log units compared with the starting value at 1 day after incubation. After 1 day of incubation, the cells ofLegionella pneumophila serogroup 6 andStaphylococcus aureus were found to have decreased more than 2 log units in purified water (PW) used as a control. Furthermore,Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 in the 102-fold dilute solution of JSPW was only 1.04 log units lower than the starting value at 7 days after incubation. In the 102- and 104-fold dilute solutions of JSPW,Escherichia coli survived for 7 days after incubation. These results were almost similar to the results in SSW and 3.5% NaCIPBS.

Conclusions

The present findings demonstrate thatLegionella pneumophila serogroup 1 andEscherichia coli cannot survive in undiluted JSPW for over a day at 37°C, suggesting the inhibitory effects may be due to the sodium chloride contained in JSPW.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Ueda M. Functions of hot springs and their application to medicine. J Jpn Pharmaceut Assoc. 2001;53:65–71. (Article in Japanese)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Sukenik S, Giryes H, Halevy S, Neumann L, Flusser D, Buskila D. Treatment of psoriatic arthritis at the Dead Sea. J Rheumatol. 1994;21:1305–1309.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Elkayam O, Ophir J, Brener S, Paran D, Wigler I, Efron D, et al. Immediate and delayed effects of treatment at the Dead Sea in patients with psoriatic arthritis. Rheumatol Int. 2000;19:77–82.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Buskila D, Abu-Shakra M, Neumann L, Odes L, Shneider E, Flusser D, et al. Balneotherapy for fibromyalgia at the Dead Sea. Rheumatol Int. 2001;20:105–108.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Neumann L, Sukenik S, Bolotin A, Abu-Shakra M, Amir M, Flusser D, et al. The effect of balneotherapy at the Dead Sea on the quality of life of patients with fibromyalgia syndrome. Clin Rheumatol. 2001;20:15–19.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Tsuchiya Y, Shimizu T, Tazawa T, Nakamura K, Yamamoto M. Effects of hot deep seawater bathing on the immune cell distribution in peripheral blood from healthy young men. Environ Health Prev Med. 2003;8:161–165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Tsuchiya Y, Shimizu T, Tazawa T, Shibuya N, Nakamura K, Yamamoto M. Changes in plasma lactate and pyruvate concentrations after taking a bath in hot deep seawater. Tohoku J Exp Med. 2003;201:201–211.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Yu VL.Legionella pneumophila (Legionnaires’ disease). Mandell, Douglas and Bennett’s Principles and Practice of Infectious Disease, 5th ed. New York: Churchill Livingston; 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Dutka BJ. Sensitivity ofLegionella pneumophila to sunlight in fresh and marine waters. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1984; 48: 970–974.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Ortiz-Roque CM, Hazen TC. Abundance and distribution of Legionellaceae in Puerto Rican waters. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1987;53:2231–2236.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Palmer CJ, Tsai YL, Paszko-Kolva C, Mayer C, Sangermano LR. Detection ofLegionella species in sewage and ocean water by polymerase chain reaction, direct fluorescent-antibody, and plate culture methods. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1993;59:3618–3624.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Dennis PJ, Taylor JA, Barrow GI. Phosphate buffered, low sodium chloride blood agar medium forLegionella pneumophila. Lancet. 1981;2:636.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Tesh MJ, Miller RD. Growth ofLegionella pneumophila in defined media: requirement for magnesium and potassium. Can J Microbiol. 1982;28:1055–1058.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Weiss E, Westfall HN. Substrate utilization byLegionella cells after cryopreservation in phosphate buffer. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1984;48:380–385.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Ogawa T, Fujimoto T. Characteristics of the Japan Sea Proper water. Ann Rep Inst Environ Geol Sci. 2002;13:69–79. (Article in Japanese)

    Google Scholar 

  16. world Health Organization. Legionnaires’ disease in Europe. Weekly epidemiological record. 2000;75:345–352.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Tominaga M, Aoki Y, Haraguchi S, Fukuoka M, Hayashi S, Tamesada M, et al. Legionnaires’ disease associated with habitual drinking of hot spring water. Intern Med. 2001; 40:1064–1067.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Grove DI, Lawson PJ, Burgess JS, Moran JL, O’Fathartaigh MS, Winslow WE. An outbreak ofLegionella longbeachae infection in an intensive care unit? J Hosp Infect. 2002;52: 250–258.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Bernander S, Jacobson K, Lundholm M. A hospital-associated outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease caused byLegionella pneumophila serogroups 4 and 10 with a common genetic fingerprinting pattern. APMIS. 2004;112:210–217.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Nakamura H, Yagyu H, Kishi K, Tsuchida F, Oh-ishi S, Yamaguchi K, et al. A large outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease due to an inadequate circulating and filtration system for bath water—Epidemiologic manifestations—. Intern Med. 2003; 42:806–811.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Heller R, Holler C, Sussmuth R, Gundermann KO. Effect of salt concentration and temperature on survival ofLegionella pneumophila. Lett Appl Microbiol. 1998;26:64–68.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Catrenich CE, Johnson W. Characterization of the selective inhibition of growth of virulentLegionella pneumophila by supplemented Mueller-Hinton medium. Infect Immun. 1989; 57:1862–1864.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Vickers RM, Yu VL, Hanna SS, Muraca P, Diven W, Carmen N, et al. Determinants ofLegionella pneumophila contamination of water distribution systems: 15-hospital prospective study. Infect Control. 1987;8:357–363.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Paszko-Kolva C, Shahamat M, Colwell RR. Long-term survival ofLegionella pneumophila serogroup 1 under low-nutrient conditions and associated morphological changes. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 1992;102:45–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Social and Environmental Medicine, Department of Community Preventive Medicine, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 1-757 Asahimachi-dori, 951-8510, Niigata, Japan

    Yasuo Tsuchiya, Takanori Fujimoto, Kazutoshi Nakamura & Masaharu Yamamoto

  2. Department of Medical Technology, School of Health Sciences Faculty of Medicine, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan

    Michihiro Terao

Authors
  1. Yasuo Tsuchiya
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michihiro Terao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Takanori Fujimoto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Kazutoshi Nakamura
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Masaharu Yamamoto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yasuo Tsuchiya.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Tsuchiya, Y., Terao, M., Fujimoto, T. et al. Effects of Japan Sea Proper Water on the growth ofLegionella pneumophila, Escherichia coli, andStaphylococcus aureus . Environ Health Prev Med 10, 233–238 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02897696

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02897696

Key words

Search

Navigation