title: Hospital-acquired legionnaires disease in a university hospital: impact of the copper-silver ionization system.
abstract: We evaluated the impact of the copper-silver ionization system in a hospital where hyperendemic nosocomial legionellosis and was present and all previous disinfection measures had failed. After implementation of the copper-silver ionization system, environmental colonization with Legionella species decreased significantly, and the incidence of nosocomial legionellosis decreased dramatically, from 2.45 to 0.18 cases per 1000 patient discharges.
authors.affiliation: Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, 08916, Spain. jmmodol.germanstrias@gencat.net
authors.forename: Josep
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mòdol
authors.forename: Miquel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sabrià
authors.forename: Esteban
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Reynaga
authors.forename: Maria L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Pedro-Botet
authors.forename: Nieves
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sopena
authors.forename: Pere
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tudela
authors.forename: Irma
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Casas
authors.forename: Celestino
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rey-Joly
mesh_terms: D000390:Air Ionization; D003300:Copper; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004203:Disinfection; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007875:Legionella / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007877:Legionnaires' Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008284:Maintenance and Engineering, Hospital / Q000379:methods*; D012834:Silver; D014871:Water Microbiology; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D012834:Silver; D003300:Copper