Presence of Legionella spp. In thermal springs of the Campania region of South Italy

Water samples from 66 thermal springs in the Campania region of South Italy were cultured for Legionella spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and indicators of faecal pollution. The temperature of the sources ranged from 21°C to 59.5°C. Legionella pneumophila, serogroup 7-10, was isolated from two out of 60 sources on the Island of Ischia and Legionella dumoffii from one mainland source. The temperatures of these sources were 35.2°C, 48.2°C, and 52.0°C respectively. Twelve sources were positive for P. aeruginosa and 6 for Escherichia coli. Our results found that Legionella spp. were present in only three thermal springs, indicating that in the hydrothermal area of the Campania region the presence of this microbial species is very scarce.