Effects of two treatments processes of cooling towers on biofilms development : special focus on legionella and amoebae
Cooling towers are considered as one of the major sources of Legionella pneumophila, the causal agent of Legionnaires' disease. Despite the high number of commercial disinfectants dedicated to it, the Legionella threat is still rising especially in connection with cooling towers. The efficacy of most disinfectants is demonstrated on planktonic bacteria while very few studies have been devoted to their effects on biofilms. The main objective of the study was to optimize two treatments dedicated to the control of biofilms in cooling towers, H2O2/UV and ClO2, so as to reduce the risk associated to Legionella pneumophila while minimizing environmental damages. Their efficacy was studied against environmental biofilms developed in a hot sulphur spring where presence of L. pneumophila is permanent. Their analysis revealed the occurrence of Lp serogroups 1 (Lp1) and of two serogroups not reported in previous studies that were oriented toward water samples, though (Lp10 and Lp12). The environmental strains we isolated display a higher cytotoxicity and virulence towards the amoeba Acantamoeba castellanii than those of known Lp1 epidemic strains and a higher sensitivity to UV and H2O2/UV. In the experimental part of the study, ClO2 and H2O2/UV display a high efficacy against biofilms. Furthermore the study showed the role of trophic parameters and of bacterial adaptation to oxidative stress on the performance of the treatments but also on biofilms regrowth. The experiments performed at the industrial scale corroborate the results gained at the pilot scale and focus on the relationships between the dose and the effectiveness of each treatment. Our results suggest the possibility to apply the process to an industrial scale with necessary adjustments about doses and injection modalities to the context of the considered sites.