Week 2 Legionella pnuemophila Research

Okay so here is an update on what is going on with this research project.  After laboring over the research proposal I have devised a possible route of exploration.  Much of the ground work has already been established by my partners in this project.  Their goal was to find out whether or not Legionella pneumophila was present in water systems around our school.  The samples they collected underwent a series of procedures that helped isolate the DNA of the bacteria as well as positively identifying L. pneumophila using genomic sequencing.

Using similar procedures to identify the presence of L. pneumophila I would be interested in seeing whether the bacteria has higher populations during the warmer months than the cooler months. What I am proposing to study is the concentration of DNA of the bacteria and compare this to the data that already exists.  The bacteria tends to like warm environments and is especially present in hot water systems.  Since Phoenix can get so hot I feel that they may present themselves in higher numbers by also accumulating in 'cold' water systems when temperatures reach the highs we all know and love.

However there are some obstacles that must be overcome in order for this experiment to be successful.  The biggest obstacle I foresee is being able to collect enough samples while it is still relatively cool.  The warm weather we felt was caused by a heat wave and hopefully I will be able to collect relevant samples when it cools down. If it cools down. 

Legionella Introduction

Legionella pnuemophila (Image source: theguardian.com)

 
Legionella pnuemophila pictured here, is a bacteria that can cause humans to develop acute pneumonia (also known as Legionnaire's disease or legionella pneumonia) 2-10 days after an individual breathes in a mist of water containing the bacteria.  In other words, when aeorosolized, the  inhaled bacteria can cause pneumonia.  Although pneumonia can oftentimes be easily treated at home with the disease ending after 2-3 weeks substantial complications can arise from individuals that have immune deficiencies such as the elderly.  Complications may also arise in individuals with diseases that affect the immune system such  as: cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, people infected with AIDS among others.

 Presence of Legionella pnuemophila in water sources can pose health threats for high traffic areas, especially when there are numerous individuals in close contact with each other.  A college campus may be a perfect breeding ground for the propagation of Legionella pnuemophila and ultimately pneumonia in a given population.  For this reason knowing whether or not Legionella pnuemophila is present in the water and in biofilm around campus can help a campus implement ways to reduce the number of individuals that come into contact with this bacteria.

Knowing Legionella pnuemophila presence is the basis for the research that my team has been conducted in the past year and a half and at some point this research may help reduce the bacteria's population on campus or even eliminate it thus eliminating the potential for students, staff and faculty to develop pneumonia.