title: The impact of electrochemical disinfection on Escherichia coli and Legionella pneumophila in tap water.
abstract: In order to reduce the risks of Legionnaires' disease, caused by the bacterium Legionella pneumophila, disinfection of tap water systems contaminated with this bacterium is a necessity. This study investigates if electrochemical disinfection is able to eliminate such contamination. Hereto, water spiked with bacteria (10(4)CFU Escherichia coli or L. pneumophila/ml) was passed through an electrolysis cell (direct effect) or bacteria were added to tap water after passage through such disinfection unit (residual effect). The spiked tap water was completely disinfected, during passage through the electrolysis cell, even when only a residual free oxidant concentration of 0.07 mg/l is left (L. pneumophila). The residual effect leads to a complete eradication of cultivable E. coli, if after reaction time at least a free oxidant concentration of 0.08 mg/l is still present. Similar conditions reduce substantially L. pneumophila, but a complete killing is not realised.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Ch. Deberiotstraat 32, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium. Yasmine.Delaedt@bio.kuleuven.de
authors.forename: Yasmine
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Delaedt
authors.forename: Arne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Daneels
authors.forename: Priscilla
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Declerck
authors.forename: Jonas
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Behets
authors.forename: Jaak
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ryckeboer
authors.forename: Elmar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.forename: Frans
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ollevier
mesh_terms: D002713:Chlorine / Q000032:analysis; D017606:Chlorine Compounds / Q000032:analysis; D004203:Disinfection / Q000379:methods*; D004572:Electrolysis / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000254:growth & development*; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000032:analysis; D016952:Legionella pneumophila / Q000254:growth & development*; D016877:Oxidants / Q000032:analysis; D010087:Oxides / Q000032:analysis; D014867:Water / Q000032:analysis; D014871:Water Microbiology; D018508:Water Purification
chemical_list: D017606:Chlorine Compounds; D016877:Oxidants; D010087:Oxides; D014867:Water; D002713:Chlorine; C025109:chlorine dioxide; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide