title: Minimum inhibitory concentration distribution in environmental Legionella spp. isolates.
abstract: In Greece standard tests are performed in the watering and cooling systems of hotels' units either as part of the surveillance scheme or following human infection. The purpose of this study was to establish the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) distributions of environmental Legionella isolates for six antimicrobials commonly used for the treatment of Legionella infections, by MIC-test methodology. Water samples were collected from 2004 to 2011 from 124 hotels from the four prefectures of Crete (Greece). Sixty-eight (68) Legionella isolates, comprising L. pneumophila serogroups 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 12, 13, 15, L. anisa, L. rubrilucens, L. maceachernii, L. quinlivanii, L. oakridgensis, and L. taurinensis, were included in the study. MIC-tests were performed on buffered charcoal yeast extract with α-ketoglutarate, L-cysteine, and ferric pyrophosphate. The MICs were read after 2 days of incubation at 36 ± 1 °C at 2.5% CO2. A large distribution in MICs was recorded for each species and each antibiotic tested. Rifampicin proved to be the most potent antibiotic regardless of the Legionella spp.; tetracycline appeared to have the least activity on our environmental isolates. The MIC-test approach is an easy, although not so cost-effective, way to determine MICs in Legionella spp. These data should be kept in mind especially since these Legionella species may cause human disease.
authors.affiliation: Regional Laboratory of Public Health, Medical School, Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
authors.forename: Vassilios
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sandalakis
authors.affiliation: Regional Laboratory of Public Health, Medical School, Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
authors.forename: Dimosthenis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chochlakis
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical Bacteriology, Parasitology, Zoonoses and Geographical Medicine, Voutes - Staurakia 71110, Heraklion, Crete, Greece E-mail: annapsa@med.uoc.gr.
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Goniotakis
authors.affiliation: Regional Laboratory of Public Health, Medical School, Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
authors.forename: Yannis
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tselentis
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical Bacteriology, Parasitology, Zoonoses and Geographical Medicine, Voutes - Staurakia 71110, Heraklion, Crete, Greece E-mail: annapsa@med.uoc.gr.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Psaroulaki
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006115:Greece; D007875:Legionella / Q000187:drug effects*; D016952:Legionella pneumophila / Q000187:drug effects; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests / Q000191:economics; D013045:Species Specificity; D014871:Water Microbiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents