FRIDAY, Feb. 17, 2012 (HealthDay News) -- The case of an Italian women who died of Legionnaires' disease she contracted from contaminated dental office equipment shows the need for disease-control measures to protect public health, researchers say.
The study appears in this week's issue of The Lancet.
In February 2011, the 82-year-old woman was admitted to hospital with fever and respiratory distress. She was promptly diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease but developed rapid and irreversible septic shock and died two days later, according to a journal news release.
An investigation into the source of her infection discovered the presence of Legionella pneumophila -- the bacterium that causes Legionnaire's disease -- in the waterline at the dentist office visited by the women before her death.
L. pneumophila can infect people by inhalation of aerosolized water. Air-conditioning units, hot-water systems, spas and fountains have been shown to be the main sources of infection.
Although significant L. pneumophila contamination of dental office waterlines has also been widely reported, the researchers believe this to be the first reported case of Legionnaires' disease caused by L. pneumophila in a dental office waterline.
"The case here shows that the disease can be acquired from a dental unit waterline during routine dental treatment. Aerosolized water from high-speed turbine instruments was most likely the source of the infection. Legionella contamination in dental unit waterlines must be minimized to prevent exposure of patients and staff to the bacterium," wrote Dr. Maria Luisa Ricci at the Istituto Superiore di Sanita in Rome, and colleagues.
The researchers suggest use of special water-circulation systems, sterile water in dental unit waterlines, disinfection treatment, filtering water before it reaches dental instruments and annual monitoring to prevent future contamination.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about Legionnaires' disease.
